


Fire and Ice

by underthetides



Category: iKON (Kpop)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Fluff, M/M, Recreational Drug Use, Romantic Angst, Rough Oral Sex, Smut, dirty talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 04:38:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 48,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8953954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/underthetides/pseuds/underthetides
Summary: Bobby was fire. He was all burning buildings and chaos and trying to escape the unbearable heat of his being.  Hanbin was ice. He was all frozen still and cold to the touch and melting away with every step Bobby took closer to him.





	1. Ice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi and welcome!! I haven't written fanfiction for 3ish years and so I'm just starting to get back into the groove of things. I hope you enjoy and thank you for reading! I'm double b trash and had to share it with the world. I know it's a bit of a slow start, but I promise once introductions are done it'll be moving along faster.

The summer heat beat against Hanbin’s back, but the excitement that coursed through his veins allowed him to easily ignore the discomfort. With two suitcases in hand and his worried mother trailing right behind him, the 18 year old hurried forward into his new home and subsequently, his new life. 

“Sweetheart, slow down,” Hanbin’s mother spoke in-between short and stuttered breaths. “You’re going to be here for the entire semester; there’s no need to rush.”

Hanbin slowed his pace to his mother’s as he opened the door to his building for her, “I’m sorry, mom, I’m just excited.”

She smiled warmly at him as she stepped inside. Hanbin let another mother and son duo enter before he began searching for his new room for the next two semesters: room 206, which was on the second floor. With a short walk up a flight of chipped stairs and a turn three doors down, he found his room already occupied.

“Hanbin! Mrs. Kim! Hey!” Donghyuk beamed as he dropped the pictures he was hanging up so he could give a hug first to Hanbin’s mother and then to Hanbin. “How was the way down here?”

“Three hours is a shit drive, but we made it with little difficulties,” Hanbin explained as he dropped his belongings on the ground and helped his mother set her’s down as well.

Hanbin’s mother then said, “Where’s your family, dear?”

“They already left actually,” he replied as he pecked Hanbin’s mother on the cheek. “They had to leave early because dad has to get to work, but they helped me decorate a little.”

Hanbin had completely forgotten about the room when he was lost in conversation with his mother and his best friend. He then took the opportunity to scan the white walls that were completely blank on the left side where he would be staying. On Donghyuk’s side, pictures clipped onto string covered most of his wall, while the rest was filled with posters of his favorite bands and clippings from his favorite magazines.

“Well, it looks lovely! I love those pictures, especially the ones of you and Yunhyeong,” Hanbin’s mother winked and Donghyuk’s cheeks turned a shade of light pink.

“Thank you, Mrs. Kim. It’s a work in progress, but I like how it’s coming along,” Donghyuk replied as he taped the last set of pictures to the wall.

“Where is Yunhyeong anyway?” Hanbin asked as he unzipped his suitcase and began to place his various pairs of jeans and t-shirts into his beige dresser to the left of his bed.

“He’s in his room, which is actually just down the hall. He’s rooming with that Bobby kid we’ve heard so much about,” Donghyuk explained as he helped Hanbin take things out of his bags. “I met him earlier and he seems really cool. Yunhyeong wants you and Junhoe to meet him really badly.”

“Well, maybe you all could eat dinner together tonight,” Hanbin’s mother suggested from the other side of the room as she plugged in her son’s mini fridge. “Meeting friends is important, Hanbin.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Donghyuk pondered as he pulled out his phone. “I’ll text the group chat to let them know what’s up.”

A few seconds later, Hanbin’s pocket dinged with Donghyuk’s notification and a few replies. As Hanbin put the last of his socks and underwear in the top drawer, he pulled out his phone to read what his friends had said:

**Donghyuk:** Do you guys want to do dinner together tonight?  
**Junhoe:** Sure thing, man. I’m almost to the school so I’ll let you guys know when I’m settled in.  
**Yunhyeong:** Sounds good! I already told Bobby and our friend Jinhwan that I’d eat with them though. Can they join?  
**Donghyuk:** Of course, babe!  
**Chanwoo:** You guys suck. I miss you assholes already.  
**Junhoe:** We miss you too, fool. Be sure to run the school now that you’re in the big leagues.  
**Yunhyeong:** He’s a senior in high school, not a professional football player.  
**Yunhyeong:** I miss you too, squirt. Take good care of mom while I’m gone.  
**Chanwoo:** Always.

Hanbin smiled lightly at the term of endearment coming from his best friend before his mother’s voice spoke, “Well, baby, is there anything else I can help you with? Donghyuk set up the microwave, all of your stuff is brought upstairs, and I put your nicer clothes in your closet already.”

Hanbin scanned a mental list to make sure they hadn’t forgotten anything and then answered, “I don’t think so, mom. All I have to do is put up a few pictures and set up my laptop to the wifi.”

A few tears appeared in Hanbin’s mother’s eyes as she walked over to her son and enveloped him in a bear hug. “I’m going to miss you, sweetheart. Your father, sister, and I are so proud of you.”

He immediately wrapped his arms tightly around his mother as a few tears threatened to spill from Hanbin’s eyes as well. He replied, “I’ll miss you too, mom. Please let me know when you get home safely.”

“I will, I will,” she said as she pulled away and wiped her eyes. She then moved her way over to Donghyuk and gave him an equally intense hug. “Now, you two know you can call me for anything, okay? Don’t hesitate. You know I love you both so damn much. Please take care of each other.”

“We will,” the boys replied in unison as Hanbin’s mother gave her son one last peck on the cheek before walking out of the room and back down the chipped stairs. Hanbin wiped his eyes of a few tears that were let loose before sitting down on his freshly-made bed.

Donghyuk followed suit and let out a content sigh as he leaned back against the wall opposite of Hanbin. “Well, we’ve made it, Bin. We’re finally college students. What are you most excited for?”

“Honestly, I’m most excited to see what the fuck Yunhyeong raved about all of last year. He said this place is heaven,” Hanbin admitted as he intertwined his fingers and placed them behind his head for support. “I’m ready for adventures.”

Donghyuk’s phone dinged just as Hanbin finished his sentence. The blonde’s fingers moved like lightning across his keyboard before turning his attention back to his best friend. “Well, let’s start now. Yunhyeong just said we should go hang out in his room for a bit.”

Hanbin nodded in agreement as he got up and stuffed his lanyard with his keys and ID into his jean pocket. The youngest of the two mirrored his actions as Hanbin speculated, “I know we’re just going over there so you can suck face with your boyfriend.”

“Hey!” Donghyuk groaned as he threw one of the many pillows on his bed at Hanbin’s unsuspecting face. “I want to get to know Bobby more, actually. He seems like a cool ass guy, plus I want to know who my boyfriend has been hanging out with for the past year.”

“And also suck face,” Hanbin chuckled as the two walked out of their room and locked the door behind them.

“Okay, and also suck face,” Donghyuk laughed as the pair walked down to room 217, dodging students every which way. Some of the boys could be heard roaring with laughter with groups of friends in their rooms and some could be seen unpacking with their parents watching over their shoulders. The hallway was absolute chaos, but a chaos Hanbin could certainly get used to.

With just a few short steps down the hallway, they had arrived. Donghyuk knocked sharply three quick times and Yunhyeong’s bright face appeared just seconds after. The couple’s smiles beamed at one another and Yunhyeong immediately cupped his hands around his boyfriend’s face and pulled him into a harsh kiss. The younger gave in quickly and wrapped his arms around the elder’s neck as they got enveloped in paradise for a few hot seconds.

Hanbin cleared his throat to snap the two out of their love session and it worked. The two pulled apart and Donghyuk entered the room as Yunhyeong spoke with a wink, “No need to be so icy on the first day, Hanbin.”

Hanbin smiled at his friend’s joke before closing the distance between them with a bear hug, “I’ve missed you, man.”

“I’ve missed you too,” the elder replied as the two pulled apart and Yunhyeong opened the door wider for Hanbin to come in. “That three weeks summer program was bullshit AND wasted valuable fucking off time with my boys. Especially my favorite boy.”

Donghyuk gave a blushed smile at the comment from Yunhyeong’s bed as Hanbin walked in and was immediately greeted by a boy just an inch or two taller than him but much, much more intimidating. The sharp angles of his jaw and cheekbones settled once his lips curled into a smile, “Hey! You must be Hanbin. I’ve heard a lot about all of you guys! I’m Bobby.”

Bobby held out his hand for Hanbin to shake and the younger politely placed his hand into the elder’s. He was surprised at how warm Bobby’s hands felt against his own cold ones. After they shook hands, Bobby sat down on his bed, which was already messy as he chuckled, “I know it’s not a pretty sight, but you can sit on my bed if you want, Hanbin.”

Hanbin nodded in thanks as he smoothed out a part of the comforter to sit on and plopped down next to the stranger. Hanbin was hyperaware of how close he was to Bobby since Yunhyeong and Donghyuk sat cuddled up next to one another just across the room. Donghyuk’s left arm was looped with Yunhyeong’s and their fingers fiddled with one another’s, while Bobby and Hanbin’s shoulders lightly touched each other's, their hands placed firmly in their laps.

“So, how was moving in? Did any of the RAs try to scare you two?” Bobby asked, breaking the ice.

“All I got was the run through of the no drugs or alcohol policy which I’m assuming is pretty normal,” Donghyuk replied as he shuffled closer to his boyfriend’s side. 

“Same here,” Hanbin chimed in as he scooted backwards so his back could be supported by the same cold, white walls that aligned his and Donghyuk’s room. “They also mentioned curfew being at midnight on school nights and one on weekends.”

“They’ll enforce the curfew bullshit for the first two weeks and then they’ll basically let us run free as long as we don’t walk around campus like a bunch of drunken, high idiots,” Yunhyeong explained as he pulled his knee to his chest. “As long as you’re careful, you can get away with just about anything here. Just ask Bobby.”

The two freshmen looked at Bobby expectantly as a smirk shaped his features, his crooked teeth forming into an adorable grin, Hanbin pondered, but quickly shook the thought from his head to put his attention fully on Bobby’s words. The elder spoke, “I have two ounces of weed in this room and two bottles of Fireball, which is the normal stash I’ve kept since the beginning of last year.”

“How the fuck do you get away with that? Especially with the smell,” Hanbin wondered aloud.

“Do you smell anything right now?” Bobby asked, turning his entire body to face Hanbin.

Hanbin consciously took a few sniffs before shaking his head no. Bobby smiled with those crooked teeth again before he responded, “Exactly. If you boys would like to share, Jinhwan, Yunhyeong, and I were already planning on breaking into it tonight. Are you down?”

“Hell yeah!” Donghyuk and Hanbin responded in unison as the four of them laughed at the jinx. 

“Awesome,” Bobby smiled. “Tonight, I’ll show you guys what college is all about.”


	2. Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I hope all of you had a happy holiday. I already have the third chapter of this written but I'm going to attempt to update every 4-5 days, at least while I'm on winter break from college. Thanks again for reading ♡.

After each member of the group went through their desired food line, the five of them ended up sitting near the center of the dining hall. People from all walks of life and all majors sat around the boys, catching up about their summer adventures with friends they haven’t seen in two months.

Donghyuk was the last to sit down right in-between Yunhyeong and Hanbin, and the first to speak, “So, where is Jinhwan?”

“Jinhwan is a special kind of guy,” Bobby explained as he stirred the fire-hot spicy noodles on his tray in front of him. “He’s not really one to plan. Now that he lives in one of the campus apartments, I’m assuming he won’t be eating much of this commoner food in the dining hall.”

Yunhyeong chuckled after he swallowed his food, “Jinhwan’s place is badass. That’s where we’re going to smoke after this.”

“Can we do that shit on campus?” Hanbin whispered nervously, desperate to keep the group’s future plans hidden from the people around them.

Bobby smiled at his shyness, thinking it was quite adorable, before answering, “You can do anything on campus; you just have to be smart about it. The apartments don’t even have RA’s because they’re reserved for upperclassmen who want to pile out money for their own living space. Nobody will bother us there.”

The three freshman found comfort in Bobby’s words and their nerves calmed a bit as they continued eating dinner. Junhoe was the next to talk, “So, Bobby, how’d you get to become friends with that asshole over there?”

“Well,” Yunhyeong started before the blaring sound of _Bang Bang Bang_ by Big Bang rang out of Bobby’s pocket. The brunette gave an apologetic look before answering his phone.

“How many of there are you?” Jinhwan’s voice rang from the other end of the line alongside the roar of a car engine starting.

“Five,” Bobby replied as he gulped down the last bites of spicy noodles. “When are you coming?”

“I’m on the way now, I’ll pick you guys up in five minutes in front of your building,” he explained and hung up the phone without a word. Bobby chuckled at his friend’s frankness.

“Well, gentlemen, that’s our cue,” Bobby announced as he picked up his tray and the others followed suit. “Jinhwan’s picking us up out front in a few minutes.”

The boys nodded and one by one dumped their trays and zig-zagged out of the maze of students crowding the cafeteria. Nobody paid them mind or uttered a single excuse me, which is normal for a group of 18-22 year olds busy planning their first night of chaos away from home.

Once the boys walked out of the double doors, the cool breeze of an August night graced their skin. The heat of the day still lingered in the air, but it wasn’t so oppressive now that the sky was darkened. Hanbin broke the silence of the evening, “So, where is Jinhwan’s place? Why didn’t we just walk?”

“My bet is that he wanted to show off his car,” Yunhyeong guessed as he interlocked his fingers with Donghyuk’s. “He told Bobby and I that he got something nice over the summer -”

The rest of Yunhyeong’s sentence was cut off by the honking of a red minivan that had just pulled up to the sidewalk where the five were standing. As the vehicle was put into park, the passenger side window rolled down to reveal Jinhwan. Bobby immediately burst into laughter as he took the passenger seat.

“This is the bad ass car you’ve been talking about all summer?” Bobby said in-between giggles as the other five piled into the car. “I mean, it’s spacious, but that’s about all its got.”

“Hey now, don’t sell it too short,” Yunhyeong stated as he attempted to hide his own laughter. “I think Jinhwan is really pulling off the whole mom aesthetic.” 

“Fuck you guys; you idiots can walk and I’ll take the freshman back in my sick ride,” Jinhwan grumbled as he rolled up the window and began driving towards his apartment. “Honestly though my car is in the shop and I had to borrow my mom’s car to get to school. We’re trading back next weekend.”

“That’s a shame, mom, because I need a ride to soccer practice next week!” Bobby joked before Jinhwan gave him a sharp smack on the arm.

“I am not afraid to beat your ass in front of these strangers,” Jinhwan asserted as he pulled into a parking spot outside of his apartment.“Speaking of which, it’s nice to meet you three. I’m Jinhwan. I know your guys’ names, but not who is who.”

The three youngest introduced themselves with soft smiles as everybody exited the mom-mobile. The building in front of the group was new construction and as shiny as ever. Bobby assumed this would change in a few weeks once the upperclassmen started trashing the whole place, but it certainly was nice.

The four brown buildings that sat in a row stood two stories high and housed four apartments in each one. The first apartment to the left was Jinhwan’s, and the group was met with the smell of pizza and knock-off febreze to cover the stench, of what Bobby assumed was weed, once they walked through the door.

“This is exactly what I pictured your apartment to be like,” Bobby stated as he scanned the odd but charming living room and kitchen with an open concept. The brown cabinets clashed with the beige walls of the apartment, but the spaciousness made up for any lack of aesthetic.

“It’s cute,” Donghyuk commented sweetly as he took a seat next to Yunhyeong on the pleather loveseat. They snuggled up closer together as Jinhwan and Junhoe sat on opposite sides of the couch. Hanbin was sitting cross-legged on the carpet in front of the TV, so Bobby took the spot next to him. Their knees touched only slightly. 

“Thank you, Donghyuk, I knew I liked you,” Jinhwan responded as he pulled his glass bong from beside the couch onto the coffee table in front of him. Bobby smiled at the gesture and immediately took out the baggie of weed that sat tightly in his jean pockets throughout dinner.

Hanbin eyed the two suspiciously before saying, “You just keep that beside the couch?”

“Why yes, yes I do,” Jinhwan replied as he poured new water into the bong and began grinding up the weed Bobby brought and throwing in some of his own. “I have a stash that’s better hidden in my room but I’m a lazy fuck and didn’t put it away from when I smoked last night.”

As Jinhwan put the weed into the bowl and brought it to his chapped lips, Yunhyeong spoke, “So, Bobby, we never answered Junhoe’s question.”

Jinhwan blew out a cloud of smoke before passing it to Donghyuk hurriedly and asking, “What question?”

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry man,” Bobby stated sincerely and Junhoe brushed it off with a smile. “He asked how we met.”

Jinhwan chuckled and put his hands behind his head as the bong continued to be passed around the circle, “The story of how we met is also the story of how I failed Intro to Political Science.”

“To be fair, we all failed,” Bobby explained as he inhaled a hit and exhaled it seconds later. His fingers lightly grazed Hanbin’s as he passed it to the boy’s whose eyes were full of curiosity, his pupils attentive to Bobby’s every word. The elder wondered if Hanbin’s eyes were always as hard as ice as he continued, “Yunhyeong, Jinhwan, and I happened to sit next to each other on the first day and got put into a group for a project worth 30 percent of our grade.”

“The class was so damn hard and I literally could not have physically cared less about it,” Yunhyeong confessed as he put his arm around Donghyuk’s shoulders. 

“We honestly could’ve done better we were just lazy and half-assed both the project and the final so we could go party instead,” Jinhwan added as he took another hit. “What about you guys; how did you meet?”

“We all met at different times and then came together,” Donghyuk explained. “Hanbin and I went to daycare together, so we’ve been friends since we were six or seven.”

“Then I came into the picture because I used to bully them,” Junhoe chuckled as a chorus of five other laughs joined in.

“Hey! The prick even stole my lunch money once,” Hanbin accused in-between laughs, his eyes curved into small smiles.

“He totally did,” Donghyuk confirmed as his laughing subsided. “But, in eighth grade Junhoe and I were in math together and I started helping him with some of the concepts.”

“We started talking about music and other shit that 14 year old boys liked and realized we actually had a lot in common,” Junhoe reminisced as a stream of smoke escaped his lips. “Since Hanbin and Donghyuk were attached at the hip, the three of us became best friends in a matter of a few weeks.”

“Then Yunhyeong and Chanwoo came in during my sophomore year of high school,” Hanbin continued the story. “We ended up at the same kickback one weekend and the three of us hit it off.” 

“Donghyuk and I had publications together too, so Hanbin and I connected because of him. Chanwoo and I are kind of a package deal, and so were Donghyuk, Hanbin, and Junhoe, so we all started hanging out and now here we are,” Yunhyeong finished as a sad look ghosted over his features. “I miss my little brother though.”

“It really isn’t the same with Chanwoo,” Hanbin sighed, a similar expression covering his features. Desperate to cheer up his friend, Hanbin continued, “He promised he’d visit a lot though. He has a car now so he can come stay with us on the weekends!”

“That’s true,” Yunhyeong realized as he shot Hanbin an appreciative smile. “All seven of us should get together when Chanwoo comes to town.”

“That sounds fun,” Bobby agreed, a smile reaching up past the corner of his lips and to his eyes. Soon after he spoke, Jinhwan left his spot on the couch to grab a few items from the kitchen. The smallest of the group came back with shot glasses and a bottle of green apple Smirnoff. 

“Since tomorrow is the beginning of a new semester and of a new life for three of you, I thought we should make a toast,” Jinhwan said as he handed a shot glass to each of the boys and poured a gracious amount into each of the small glasses.

All of the boys grabbed their shots and brought them to their lips as Bobby cheered, “To new friends and a badass semester.”

The other five cheered in agreement as they all clanked their glasses together and shot the liquid down. Each one of them groaned at the harshness of the taste besides Bobby, who enjoyed the fire burning his throat.


	3. Ice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Happy New Year!

Hanbin rubbed his eyes lazily, coffee cup grasped firmly in his right hand as he trailed his way to his first college class: a 10 a.m. course on music theory. Groups of students chatted around him as they made their way to their respective classes, excitement buzzing between their words of catching up about the summer. He rightfully assumed that the perky faces of the first day would fade by the end of the week. 

Once he reached his class in the biggest and most air-conditioned building on campus, he took a seat near the middle of the class. Hanbin wanted to seem attentive to the professor, but also didn’t want to be the kind of person who sat in the first row. He set his backpack to the side of his desk and pulled out a notebook and pencil to take notes as needed.

Awkwardly, he pulled out his phone to reply to a few messages so he could busy his hands and follow suit to the people around him chatting or typing away on their devices. A few messages from the group chat appeared as he opened up his iMessage:

 **Yunhyeong:** Good luck to everyone on your first day!  
**Donghyuk:** Thanks baby. Love you all!  
**Junhoe:** Thanks guys. Try not to get into trouble on the first day.  
**Chanwoo:** No promises. Love you assholes.

Hanbin smiled at his friends’ banter before typing a loving but funny response back and putting down his phone to wait for the professor. However, something much more interesting caught his attention as he looked at the doorway, a disheveled but handsome-looking Bobby walking into the classroom, the glow of his skin emphasized by the sunlight pouring in from the windows.

Bobby scanned the room for a seat and a light smile creeped onto his features as he spotted Hanbin and started making his way towards the younger. Hanbin smiled back at him politely as Bobby took the seat to the left of him and set his belongings down beside Hanbin’s.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Bobby asked as he pulled out a notebook and pen to write with before turning his attention towards Hanbin, an intent stare covering his features.

“I’m doing okay. This is my first class of the day so I’m just a bit nervous,” Hanbin admitted, fiddling with his pencil to distract his anxious hands. 

“Ah, don’t be,” Bobby assured him as he adjusted the navy blue snapback that fit firmly around his head. “Classes in college are much more relaxed than classes in high school. As long as the professor isn’t ridiculously strict you could get away with murder without them even batting an eye.”

Hanbin laughed at Bobby’s example before replying, “Thanks for the encouragement, but I’m still hoping that doesn’t happen.”

“It probably won’t, at least not on the first day,” Bobby responded with a wink. 

Hanbin felt a flutter run down his spine at the action but chose to ignore it and cover his embarrassment with a question. “Hey, isn’t this class just for music majors? Are you a music major?”

“It is,” Bobby said thoughtfully, understanding what the words truly meant. “And I am, so we must be in the same major. We’ll probably be seeing each other a lot.”

Hanbin smiled slightly at the thought of having such glorious eye candy in most of his college classes for at least the next three years before adding, “I am too, that’s pretty cool. What do you want to do with a music major?”

“I want to be a lyricist. I write some raps from time to time now but I definitely have a lot to improve on,” Bobby explained before asking, “What about you?”

“I want to be a composer,” Hanbin stated and paused before a hint of bravery washed over his system and continued, “You should show me some of your lyrics sometime. I write some too; maybe we can help each other.” 

Bobby’s teeth shined through his curved lips at Hanbin’s words before responding, “Yeah, I’d like that.”

The two smiled at each other for a few moments before the slamming of a door startled the two and turned their attention to the front of the room. A short, blonde woman with glasses settled at the bridge of her nose walked into the room and logged onto the computer near the projector. Bobby and Hanbin’s conversation was officially declared finished as the professor began passing out copies of the syllabus. 

After the professor dismissed them ten minutes before it’s scheduled time, all of the students in the room began shuffling around to pack up and head to their next class. Hanbin and Bobby packed up in silence, but matched each other’s pace as they exited the room and filed into the hallway.

Bobby was the first to cut the silence, “Do you have a break now? I was going to go get some lunch if you wanted to join.”

“I’m sorry, but I actually have to go to Gender Studies with Junhoe now,” Hanbin explained, sad that he couldn’t accompany Bobby.

“Gender studies?” Bobby asked, his eyebrow lifting in curiosity as the two exited the building, the elder holding the door open for Hanbin.

“Yes, gender studies,” Hanbin responded firmly. “You don’t care about women’s issues?”

“No, no, I do,” Bobby said quickly, his hands going up in defense. “I just didn’t peg you as the kind of guy who took gender studies.”

“It’s interesting and it fills a gen ed requirement,” Hanbin explained as the two stopped in front of their dining hall. 

“That’s true. You should let me know if it’s any good because I still need to fill that requirement,” Bobby spoke, smiling at Hanbin before shuffling his backpack to a more comfortable position on his right shoulder. “Well, this is my stop. I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah, see you around,” Hanbin replied, smiling at Bobby as the elder walked off to go eat what Hanbin assumed was something spicy and fire-hot. 

The walk to the next building was a little long, but the trail wrapped around several trees that barely looked like autumn, yet Hanbin smiled at the thought of cold weather drawing near. As he entered the building, slightly less air-conditioned than the last, Hanbin only had to walk up a flight of stairs and turn to the right to find his Gender Studies class.

Junhoe was already seated in the very last row of seats lined up against an elongated table. The younger’s feet was settled on top of the surface as he flipped through a book of what Hanbin assumed was a story written at least one hundred years ago. Hanbin slid into the seat to the right of Junhoe and placed his backpack to the side.

“Hey jackass, whatchya reading?” Hanbin asked as he pushed Junhoe’s feet off of the table. 

Junhoe shot him an angry look before replying, “I’m re-reading ‘Emma’ by Jane Austen. Also, I don’t appreciate the whole invasion of space you just did by pushing my feet off. I was very comfortable.”

“I know it’s really hard for you, but try not to make it known that you’re an entitled snob and think that rules don’t apply to you because you’re a true literary intellect,” Hanbin responded sarcastically, his eyes rolling playfully. 

“But I AM an entitled literature snob,” Junhoe chuckled back at Hanbin, grateful for the slight detour of humor to defer his feelings of anxiousness about the first day. He continued, “So, you’re going to do my homework for this class and I’ll help you get an A in your Creative Writing class, right?”

“How about for once you actually do your own assigned work? You’re in college now, you gotta get your shit together,” Hanbin winked. “Plus, I’m a great poet all on my own.”

“You’re so cold to me, Hanbin, so cold,” Junhoe said jokingly as a buzz sounded from each of the boys’ phones. Synchronized, the two picked up their iPhones to see messages from the group.

 **Yunhyeong:** Jinhwan invited us all over again tonight. Anyone down?  
**Donghyuk:** Hell yeah  
**Junhoe:** I’ll come  
**Hanbin:** same. What time?

After the two replied to the message, Junhoe broke their temporary silence. “I really like those guys so far.”

“Bobby and Jinhwan?” Hanbin asked as Junhoe nodded a yes. “They’re really cool. I’m a little worried about Bobby though. I like him, but he seems wild.”

“Worried? Is that why you were staring at him most of last night? Because you were worried?” Junhoe asked, his eyebrows lifting accusingly. 

Hanbin rolled his eyes and slapped Junhoe on the arm to disguise his body turning cold and tight. Was he staring at Bobby too much yesterday? He quickly spoke to hide his discomfort, “I can’t deny a good looking man, Junhoe.”

“Then why haven’t you been staring at me the past 5 years?” Junhoe asked in fake offense, putting his heart to his chest to exaggerate his false hurt.

“I fucking hate you,” Hanbin replied as a smile curved his lips upwards, the two chuckling lightly at their shenanigans just before the professor entered the room. 

Although the professor was interesting, Hanbin’s mind quickly wandered to miscellaneous topics. Like Bobby’s smile and how his eyes burned Hanbin’s skin when they looked at him. He wondered if he’s just overthinking it like he does everything else, or maybe he hadn’t gotten fucked good in so long that it’s making him delirious. Hanbin chooses to believe the latter as he snapped his attention back to the whiteboard and began jotting down notes.


	4. Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I hope you guys had a very happy new year's eve and I hope all of your resolutions work out! Here's the fourth installment of this story that I am slowly beginning to fall in love with. I hope you all enjoy <3! Also, as a side note, the Jisoo mentioned in this chapter is not a specific Jisoo, just a popular Korean name I thought I'd use for the story. Thanks again for reading!!

Jinwan’s apartment was truly a disaster. Paper cups lined along the flat surfaces of the living room and kitchen, accompanied by a brown stain of coffee next to a tipped over mug. Jinhwan had inhabited the apartment for only three days thus far, but with five other boys coming in and out of there on a daily basis, the apartment was definitely in need of some housekeeping.

As Bobby helped Jinhwan clean by emptying out the trash, Bobby asked, “so, how was your first day?” 

“It wasn’t bad actually,” Jinhwan replied as he finished cleaning the counter of various food stains. “400 level business classes are no fucking joke though, let me tell you. Also, this place gets messy so fast with you assholes hanging around. I’m tired of cleaning like the little hoe on the prairie.”

“It’s Little _House_ on the Prairie.”

“I know what I said.”

Bobby chuckled at his friend’s wit before changing the subject, “So, what do you think of Yunhyeong’s friends?”

“They’re cool. I wouldn’t mind hanging out with them more often,” Jinhwan replied as he tossed a wet wipe into the trash can. “You seem to be taking a liking to one of them in particular though.”

Bobby’s cheeks flushed a light pink as he took a seat on the couch, “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

“Don’t act like you haven’t been stealing glances at the freshman since you met him. I get it, he’s cute. If I was into guys I’d be after Hanbin too but you need to be careful,” Jinhwan stated sternly as he plopped down carelessly next to the younger. “It’d ruin the entire group if you didn’t stick around after you fucked him, and judging from your past, that will be the case. Personally, I’d like to keep hanging around them and I know Yunhyeong feels even more passionately about that.” 

Bobby’s face fell a bit and nodded thoughtfully at his friend’s words. Hanbin _was_ cute, sexy even, but he was too innocent to be used by Bobby. Hell, Bobby didn’t even know if the younger was a virgin or not or if Hanbin even liked men. Further, the only way Bobby ended relationships was through chaos and burning hearts disintegrating to ash. He cared for the others’ well-being too much to watch the group burst into flames.

It didn’t stop him from thinking about Hanbin though, and the way he leaned into the others’ as he laughed. Or the way his eyes could freeze Bobby’s entire system down until all he remembers is the way the two brown orbs bore into him. Bobby quickly shook the romantic buffoonery from his mind and attributed it to the fact that he hadn’t had a one night stand in months and he desperately needed to get off with something other than his hand.

The boy filled with sharp edges and crooked smiles stopped his thoughts the moment the door busted open to reveal the four missing members of the group with pizza boxes in hand. Bobby’s eyes immediately fell onto Hanbin, who was surprisingly enough already stealing a glance at the elder. When their eyes met, Hanbin instantly lowered his gaze and Bobby smiled at his bashfulness as Yunhyeong spoke, “Who’s hungry?” 

“Me! Bring that shit over here,” Jinhwan requested firmly as Yunhyeong laughed and set the box in front of the small, hungry man. As everyone began to delve in, Bobby’s pocket buzzed, indicating a new text. Curiously, he pulled it out of his pocket to reveal a stream of missed messages.

 **Jisoo:** Hey, where’ve you been? Why haven’t you texted me in a few days?  
**Jisoo:** Classes are going well so far here at home, how about with you?  
**Jisoo:** I miss you.

_Fuck._

»»-------------¤-------------««

Bobby’s eyes blinked open to a new day relatively early the next morning to the sound of Yunhyeong’s fingers firing rapidly against the keyboard of his laptop. When Bobby began to stretch the sleep from his arms, Yunyeong whispered a _good morning_ and the younger mumbled some semblance of a reply.

Habitually, Bobby grabbed his phone off the charger just a few feet away from him and began scrolling through miscellaneous social media on his phone. He replied to a few messages mindlessly but continued ignoring Jisoo, who had sent two new messages since the last time he checked his phone.

Before the guilt of not responding could sink into Bobby’s chest, Yunhyeong broke the silence that coated the room, “What are you up to today?”

“Not much,” Bobby grumbled, his voice still thick with sleep. “I don’t have classes until tonight so I’m probably just going to hang around today. Maybe go to Jinhwan’s. How about you?”

“I don’t have class until later either so I’m trying to work on some homework,” Yunhyeong stated, his eyes and fingers never leaving his laptop as he talked.

“Dude, it’s the second day. Why are you working on homework already?” Bobby asked as he sat up in bed, ruffling his hair between his fingers.

“You know how scared I am about failing, Bobby. I figure if I at least do really well in school, it won’t matter that I don’t know exactly what I want to do once I leave,” Yunhyeong contemplated aloud as his phone dinged with the notification of a text. He picked it up immediately and a smile broke onto his face as he typed out a reply. Once he put his phone down, he continued. “Donghyuk is working on homework too, but he’s pretty stressed out.”

“Why is he stressed out? I thought he was a straight A student in high school,” Bobby acknowledged, vaguely remembering a conversation with Yunhyeong about how proud he was of his boyfriend’s academic successes.

“He is and that’s why he’s stressed,” Yunhyeong answered as he placed his laptop on his desk and began to fish for some semblance of an outfit from his dresser drawers. “He’s always been so hard on himself. The world of journalism is competitive, so he wants to have an edge when he applies for jobs by being on the Dean’s List all four years.” 

“That’s smart,” Bobby commented mindlessly as he continued scrolling through his phone. He didn’t look up until he saw the older changing into a sweatshirt and jeans, leaving his t-shirt and pajama pants behind in the laundry basket. “Why are you getting dressed?”

“Donghyuk’s coming over,” Yunhyeong replied as he looked at Bobby with an expression the younger couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“When you say coming over…” Bobby trailed off, a questioning look covering his features as he peered at Yunhyeong.

“He’s coming over so I can fuck the stress out of him,” Yunhyeong blurted, a wishful look covering his face as he looked at Bobby longingly. “I’m really sorry to ask, but could you maybe go for a bit?”

Bobby chuckled as he got out of bed and began fishing for an outfit himself, leaving his comforter astray and unmade on his mattress. He smiled as he nodded, “say no more, my man. Have fun.”

“Thank you, I really owe you,” Yunhyeong said sweetly as Bobby threw on a hoodie and a pair of gray joggers. He knew he could’ve put together something a little more fancy, but he was always one who preferred comfort over style.

“Don’t mention it,” Bobby affirmed as he slipped on a pair of slides and grabbed his lanyard from his desk. “Make sure to keep it quiet though, you know how thin these walls are.”

Without waiting for Yunhyeong’s response, Bobby left their shared room and closed the door gently behind him, scared to wake their sleeping neighbors. He winked at Donghyuk as they passed in the hallway and the younger blushed slightly and mouthed a _thank you_. Bobby smiled at the notion of young love and how beautifully in love his friend was with Donghyuk. Hearing the brunette go on about his precious high school boyfriend for hours the previous year got to be annoying sometimes, but now it filled Bobby with joy knowing that two people could stay happy in a relationship for so long. 

As he passed Hanbin and Donghyuk’s door, Jinhwan’s number was dialed into his phone, but something stopped Bobby in his tracks. If Donghyuk had just left, then the likelihood of Hanbin being awake was relatively high. Bobby stood outside their door for a bit weighing his options, ignoring the questioning looks he got from the other boys on his floor walking to and from the bathroom. 

After a full minute of contemplating and a bit of courage building up in his system, Bobby locked his phone and knocked on Hanbin’s door. It was only a few moments of waiting before Hanbin’s sleepy, adorable face greeted Bobby. His eyes opened a bit wider in surprise at the sight of the elder as he spoke, “Hey, what’s up?”

“Well, um, I was actually wondering if I could come in?” Bobby asked a bit sheepishly, completely out of his character. Usually Bobby spoke with dominance and confidence, but something about Hanbin made nerves jitter inside of Bobby’s stomach and up his arms. He shook the feelings from his limbs before continuing, “Donghyuk and Yunhyeong are going to town in my room.”

Hanbin chuckled as a smile formed onto his lips and he opened up the door a bit wider, “Yeah, they do that pretty often. Come on in.” 

Bobby nodded in thanks as he entered the room much cleaner than Yunhyeong’s and his own. Both Hanbin and Donghyuk’s bed were neatly made with pristine care, but Bobby ruffled up the comforter a bit as he took a seat on Donghyuk’s bed and crossed his feet underneath him. He looked up to see Hanbin opposite of him, his legs also crossed under him on his own bed, his hands wringing together in nervousness. 

“I owe you. If they fuck in here next time, feel free to come over to my room for salvation,” Bobby offered with a smile and Hanbin returned it, his eyes forming into small crescents.

“Thank you,” Hanbin said politely, his hands shaking a bit less as he spoke. “We’ll hang out a lot that way. Those two are always going at it. When we used to have group sleepovers at Yunhyeong and Chanwoo’s place, they would always sneak off at least one point in the night to get off.”

“I wouldn’t mind that,” Bobby chimed in at Hanbin’s first comment and the younger blushed slightly at the words, a small smile covering his features as the elder continued, “Every time Donghyuk came down to visit they would spend most of the time cooped up in Yunhyeong’s room. I’m not sure if they were fucking or if they just sat in silence and made googly eyes at each other for hours.”

Hanbin laughed a bit at Bobby’s words before he responded, “Ah, they’re just in love. Sure, their romantic bullshit gets in the way of June, Chanwoo, and my time with them but they’re way happier together than they ever were apart.”

“I haven’t been in love like that for a long time,” Bobby said thoughtfully as he leaned his head against the cool, white walls of the freshmen’s room. “It’s nice. I didn’t know that love like that could last for so long.”

“Well, it certainly takes work. They’ve had their ups and downs, but sticking through it and loving each other despite it is what makes it work,” Hanbin offered, his icy eyes staring into Bobby the entire time he spoke. 

“Do you know what that’s like?” Bobby asked, curiosity fueling his words as he stared just as intently into Hanbin’s eyes.

The younger became shy at the question and tore his gaze from Bobby’s to look at the floor as he spoke, “Nah, not really. The last boyfriend I had was the beginning of last year. He was an ass to me and the guys’ so I dropped him within a few months.”

Bobby’s body perked up slightly, but unnoticed by Hanbin, at the word _boy_ friend leaving Hanbin’s lips. So he _did_ like boys. Bobby found this extremely interesting as he thought up a reply, “I’m sorry that happened. Boys can be real fucking assholes. There are plenty of men here though, maybe you’ll find someone special amongst the raging testosterone.” 

Hanbin’s eyes flicked up at Bobby’s encouragement and another small smile graced his face. Bobby swore his heart would pick up to a dangerously high pace if Hanbin gave him that look even once more in the course of their conversation. As Hanbin situated himself on the bed, he said, “Thank you, Bobby. I hope the same for you. Well, wait, do you already have somebody special?” 

The smile was instantly wiped off of the elder’s face and nervousness replaced it as Bobby’s thoughts began to run rampant, desperately searching for a proper response to Hanbin’s question. _Was_ he single? Did what he was doing count as being in a relationship?

Before the elder could respond, a jingling of keys could be heard outside of the door and Donghyuk appeared just a few moments later, relieving Bobby of his duty to answer Hanbin’s question. Donghyuk smiled at the two of them as both him and Yunhyeong entered the room.

The younger of the two was the first to break the silence, “Hey guys, we’re about to grab some breakfast. Do you want to join? Junhoe is meeting us there.” 

“Yeah, sure,” Bobby answered immediately as he sat up from his spot on Donghyuk’s bed and situated his clothes back to his liking. “You two might want to spray some cologne, though. You both smell like straight sex.”

Donghyuk blushed furiously as he grabbed the cologne from his desk and sprayed a gracious amount on himself. Hanbin let out a boisterous laugh at Bobby’s honesty and the elder smiled at his enthusiasm, quickly forgetting the stress from Hanbin’s previous question to admire his chuckles.

Yunhyeong sprayed some cologne on himself as well before responding, “I’m a bit offended that you said that we smelled like straight sex. I hope that we smell like gay sex.”

Then it was Bobby’s turn to erupt into giggles, and the other three joined along in a chorus as they made their way down the chipped steps and to the cafeteria. Hanbin’s question long forgotten in Bobby’s mind.


	5. Ice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I hope everyone is adjusting well to the new year and a new semester if you're in school. As always, feedback is much appreciated and thank you for reading!

The first week of school flew by like a breeze. Most of Hanbin’s professors spent class time boring on about rules and brief introductions to course material. So, the freshman was left with little homework over the three day weekend thanks to the university’s policy of no classes on Friday’s. He wasn’t sure why they received an extra day off but he certainly wasn’t going to make a fuss about it.

Since Thursday had been officially declared date night for Donghyuk and Yunhyeong, Hanbin was left in the silence of the empty room except for a few conversations from his neighbors drifting through the thin walls. Although Hanbin liked to be social, he needed time to decompress away from the hustle of college life and the noise level of his friends in order to maintain some semblance of sanity.

He had to admit though, it was a little boring spending the first weekend of his college career cooped up inside of his dorm room. So, Hanbin searched for something to occupy his mind from how lame he really was for spending his first free night alone. He _could_ text Junhoe to see what he was up to, but nine times out of ten the younger was busy reading on his evenings off, always desperate to get ahead of his classmates. The thought of texting either Jinhwan or Bobby also crossed his mind, but the anxiety surrounding hanging out with either of them one-on-one stopped him from typing out the message, especially if he was the one to initiate it.

Hanbin considered following in Junhoe’s footsteps and reading a book himself, but he was never able to finish a story due to his shit attention span. His thoughts then moved to the idea of playing video games, but it was never the same without Donghyuk playing or at least helping him through the twists and turns of boss fights. 

The freshman didn’t contemplate his plans for much longer before two sharp knocks sounded on his door. With a look of curiosity ghosting over his features, Hanbin sat up from his position on his bed and opened the door to reveal Bobby in his usual attire of joggers and an oversized sweatshirt. 

Without waiting for the younger to greet him, Bobby questioned, “Are you busy?”

Hanbin was a bit taken aback by the elder’s urgency, but replied quickly, “Uh, no, I’m not actually. What’s up?”

“Do you wanna go smoke?” Bobby asked, his hand motioning to the lump in his sweatshirt pocket. “It’s on me, you don’t have to pitch in.”

Hanbin would be a dumbass to deny spending alone time with someone as downright hot as Bobby, but the fact that he turned into a blushing fool when the elder so much as made eye contact with him made Hanbin doubt himself. However, the younger figured that being a nervous mess around Bobby would beat sitting in his room for the entirety of the night, so he agreed, “Sure, thanks. Where are we going?  


As Hanbin grabbed his lanyard from the top of his dresser and began to close the door to his room, Bobby addressed the younger’s question, “There’s this place in the woods that Yunhyeong, Jinhwan, and I used to go to last year. Nobody ever goes back there except kids who are also breaking campus rules, so we should be safe.”

A pinch of anxiety shot through Hanbin’s system at the chance of being caught by campus staff, but he had made it a goal at the beginning of the semester to stop being so uptight about everything. He never gave himself the chance to let loose and fully enjoy himself without thoroughly contemplating the consequences of all of his actions. Hanbin was harsh and full of sharp, icy edges, but he desperately wanted to relax and he knew Bobby would help him do so. The weed wouldn’t hurt either.

A hint of cool, evening air hit the pair as they walked out of their building and began heading towards the thickly wooded area of campus, so the two pulled their sweatshirts a little closer to their bodies in search of warmth. A wave of silence washed over the two as they walked towards the woods, but it was more comfortable than Hanbin expected. Their strides were almost perfectly in sync, and they walked close enough to one another for their shoulders to touch every few steps. Hanbin found comfort in the contact even though Bobby’s body was a little tenser than usual, his eyebrows furrowed and his arms tight.

“Are you doing okay?” Hanbin asked thoughtfully as the two neared the end of campus where tall trees could hide the two from the rest of the world and more importantly, from campus security.

“It was just a shitty day,” Bobby complained as he held a branch above Hanbin’s head so the younger could more easily pass through. “My fucking biology professor gave us a pop quiz over the reading he assigned last class. A quiz on the second fucking day. Who does that?”

“That’s bullshit. I didn’t even know it was legal to have any sort of test on the first week of classes,” Hanbin said and Bobby chuckled at the sentiment. A smile creeped onto Hanbin’s lips at Bobby’s laugh as the two ventured further into the wooded area.

“Unfortunately it is legal, but it shouldn’t be,” Bobby commented as the two stepped over the various obstacles of the woods. Fallen branches littered the trail as well as used condoms, broken liquor bottles, and God knows what else. College was certainly something else, Hanbin thought.

“Honestly though, one quiz isn’t going to tank your grade. It’s an F right now, but once the professor gives you a few assignments, your grade will go right back up. I wouldn’t worry too much even though it is fucking frustrating,” Hanbin responded to Bobby’s words thoughtfully.

“Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Hanbin,” Bobby smiled and Hanbin’s heart thumped an extra beat at the sight of the elder’s eyes squinting into the most adorable eye smile. The younger was snapped out of his thought as the two approached a small, cleared off area of the woods and Bobby continued. “Well, here we are.”

Although the area was small, it was certainly big enough to fit a few people in a circle. It was nothing more than a patch of dirt cleared of branches, rocks, and the other disgusting objects left behind from students of years passed, but it felt safe to Hanbin, especially with Bobby there.

Hanbin took a seat first to avoid the awkwardness of choosing where to sit and in what proximity to Bobby he should be, but the elder seemed to pay no mind to the social convention of how close two acquaintances should sit next to each other. Seemingly without any thought, Bobby sat right next to Hanbin, his criss-crossed legs touching the younger’s graciously.

As soon as he sat, Bobby took out a pre-rolled blunt from his pocket and a lighter of abstract designs to light it. Hanbin observed the way he brought it to his soft, pink lips and watched the stress visibly release from the elder with the exhale of smoke. 

Bobby handed the blunt to the younger before speaking, “Have you by chance read the syllabus for our music theory class?”

Hanbin coughed a bit at the strength of the smoke and blew it away from Bobby before replying, “No. Are we supposed to actually read those things?”

“It’s not always required, but it’s smart to skim it,” Bobby explained as he took another hit. “There’s a part about a partner project coming up pretty soon. Would you maybe want to be my partner?”

Hanbin smiled at the elder’s sheepish request before responding enthusiastically, “Yeah, sure!”

“Alright, nice,” Bobby smiled as he played with his fingers in his lap. Hanbin thought it was endearing that somebody as wild and harsh as Bobby could ever visibly show signs of discomfort. Before Hanbin could think about Bobby’s conflicting characteristics for much longer, the elder changed the subject. “How were your first week of classes?”

“Pretty good, honestly. The classes are easy but I’m a little worried about making friends. It’s hard to approach people in class and everybody already seems to be grouped up like I am with Yunhyeong, Donghyuk, and Junhoe. I don’t know; I just want to really _live_ while I’m here, you know?” Hanbin answered, veering off from Bobby’s question as his trailing thoughts got the best of him. 

“Well, you’ve already made friends with Jinhwan and I, that has to count for something,” Bobby started, pausing a moment to reply thoughtfully to Hanbin’s worries. “Honestly though, college is fun regardless of how many friends you make. As long as the friends you have are fun, you have a kickass time. I met a lot of people last year but only really connected with Yunhyeong and Jinhwan. Sure, we’d go party with other people, but at the end of the day I always wanted to be with them. Plus, you’ve only been here for one week. You have plenty of time to meet new people.”

A smile that reached up to Hanbin’s eyes graced the younger’s features at Bobby’s words as he blew out the last hit on the blunt. “You know what, Bobby? You’re right. I just start worrying sometimes and it just consumes me. Thank you, truly.”

“I got that impression from you. It really is okay to let loose sometimes. And you’ll have plenty of opportunities to do that with Jinhwan and I around,” Bobby winked before his expression turned a bit more serious. “But it’s no problem at all, Hanbin.”

The duo then sat in silence for a minute or two, scrolling through their phones for the first time in a while as they let the feeling of calm from the smoke wash over their systems. As Hanbin was replying to a post that Chanwoo sent in the group chat, he got a text from his best friend.

 **Donghyuk:** Hey, where are you? Can we talk? Yunhyeong and I went home early. He was in a shitty mood.

Hanbin quickly shot back a reply before turning to Bobby, who was leaned against a large rock behind him, his toned arm hanging off the side of it as he stared intently at his phone screen. Although the sight was beautiful, picturesque even, Hanbin felt the need to interject. “I think Yunhyeong and Donghyuk got into an argument.”

Bobby’s attention immediately snapped to Hanbin before he asked, “Wait, what? What happened?”

“I don’t know yet,” Hanbin admitted as he waited anxiously for his friend’s reply. “Donghyuk said they left early because Yunhyeong was in a shitty mood.”

“Shit, I thought they’d be back late and then fuck in one of our rooms. Do you think we should go check on them?” Bobby asked, his burning eyes never leaving Hanbin’s and both of their faces were laced with worry.

“I’m sorry to cut this short, but yeah. Those two never part for anything,” Hanbin explained as he stood up and brushed the dirt from the back of his jeans.

Bobby followed suit before responding, “No, no don’t worry about it. I had fun though. We should do it again sometime.”

Hanbin smiled at the prospect of having more alone time with his handsome elder, “Yeah. I’d like that.” 

Once the pair hurriedly walked back to their building and waved goodbye at their respective doors, Hanbin entered his room to find Donghyuk laying in bed with his pillow clutched to his chest. Although the blonde usually scrolled through his phone before falling asleep, Donghyuk laid still, his eyes wide open and his phone on the other side of the room.

“Hey, Dong, what’s going on?” Hanbin asked immediately as he carelessly threw his lanyard to the side and took a seat on Donghyuk’s bed.

The younger of the two made more room for his friend to sit by curling his body more tightly together. “Yunhyeong was just being an ass tonight. I don’t know what’s been up with him lately.”

Hanbin’s face scrunched into a look of confusion before replying, “What’s he been doing? You guys seemed to be doing really well.”

“We are I guess,” Donghyuk responded with a sniff. “He’s just so stressed out that it’s affecting everything. I try to help him, but there’s only so much I can do. He’s just frustrated.”

“What’s he so stressed about? It’s only the first week,” Hanbin pondered aloud.

“He’s worried about his major. You know he’s been trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life since Junior year of high school, but nothing has caught his attention I guess. I try to give him suggestions but he just tosses them aside before even thinking about them,” Donghyuk explained. “I know it has to be hard to be unsure, but he still has plenty of time. I suggested he just get a general education degree and figure it out once he graduates, but you know how stubborn he is.”

“I’m sorry, Dong. I know he can bite pretty hard sometimes when he’s in a shit mood. I hope you know he never means any harm, especially onto you. He adores you. Hell, he’ll probably show up here tomorrow morning with some ridiculously cheesy gift and an apology,” Hanbin predicted, trying his best to cheer up his friend.

The smile Hanbin had been digging for finally appeared on Donghyuk’s face at his words, “Yeah, you’re right. It just gets hard sometimes. I just wish I could help him.”

“You’re doing your best, and he knows that. You can’t beat yourself up, you know that right?” Hanbin said as he traced his hand onto Donghyuk’s back, rubbing soothing circles into his shoulders.

“Yeah, I know,” the younger replied with a sigh. “Thank you, Hanbin. You always know what to say. I love you, man, I really do.”

“I love you too,” Hanbin smiled as he got up from Donghyuk’s bed and moved to his own. “Now, let’s get some sleep. If you need anything, just wake me up, okay? I promise things will be better in the morning.”

Donghyuk smiled weakly at him in response as he flipped off the light beside his bed, but Hanbin knew there was sincerity behind the expression despite it’s lack of strength. Donghyuk was the type of person to always worry about others before even considering himself, going as far as hiding the greatest of his fears about Yunhyeong even to Hanbin. Although it was one of his most admirable traits; to put people before himself; it was also one of his biggest downfalls. Hanbin pretended not to notice Donghyuk’s soft cries that night through the dark silence of their room.

To top off Hanbin’s whirling train of thoughts about Yunhyeong and Donghyuk, his mind trailed off to Bobby and his demanding presence. How he appeared as harsh and sharp as the angles of his jaw, but was as soft as clouds on a warm summer day underneath his exterior. He found himself thinking about the elder more everyday, and it scared him. Terrified him that this little crush could be the downfall of not only him, but the whole group. Yunhyeong and Donghyuk could have the same effect, only much more devastating.

If Bobby and Hanbin’s ending would leave third-degree burns, Yunhyeong and Donghyuk’s breakup would crush down upon the group with a force that could crumble skyscrapers. Hanbin shuddered at the thought. He hoped, just as Bobby, Yunhyeong, and Donghyuk did, that things would just make more sense in the morning.


	6. Fire

Bobby woke up on a Sunday morning - his favorite day to sleep in - to the shrill and recognizable tone of his iphone ringing it’s default sound. He grumbled and sleepily patted around his bed searching for his phone with his eyes still closed shut, desperately clinging onto the relaxation he was feeling just moments ago in his slumber. 

When he found it, he slid the little green phone icon to the right without looking at the contact name and answered in a thick morning voice, “Hello?”

“Hello Bobby,” a firm, feminine voice spoke through the line.

Bobby immediately perked up, his eyes shooting open and his body following suit. As he sat up in bed, his blanket now only covering his thighs, he responded, “Hey, Jisoo. What’s up?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” she chided back, her words laced with anger. Bobby could almost perfectly imagine her in that moment, her long brunette locks falling over her crossed arms.

“I’m sorry, babe, I am. I just...things have been off lately with you and I. I’ve just been getting accustomed to things at school and taking a break,” Bobby admitted honestly, trying his best to spare Jisoo’s feelings but not quite succeeding.

“You always want a fucking break!” She yelled, her usual soft voice booming through the speaker of Bobby’s phone. “I just don’t understand why we can’t make this work, at least for our parents’ sake. We’re in an open relationship where we can casually sleep with other people and we give each other endless freedom; I just don’t understand why you can’t call or text me every once in awhile.”

The harsh tone of her first sentence faded into something much gentler, filled with much more hurt, as Jisoo continued talking. A hint of guilt washed over Bobby as he replied, “I know, I’m sorry. We were friends before any of this bullshit ever happened and I should’ve at least hit you up, and I’m sorry. I just don’t feel like it’s worth it anymore, Jisoo, do you? Is it worth being in this relationship just to keep our parents happy?”

The line went silent for a while as both of them contemplated Bobby’s question. After four years of being together, passion was beginning to fade fast between Jisoo and Bobby. What was once a hilarious friendship turned into a comfortable arrangement, but now it complicated both of their lives so much Bobby often found himself wondering if living up to his parents’ expectations was worth it. The relationship started off romantic and monogamous with dates and late night drives and flowers at Jisoo’s doorsteps. After a year and a half, the two decided that an open relationship would be best for the both of them, and it strengthened their relationship with one another at least for a few months. Now, it felt like the two were hanging onto their relationship by their teeth, having to remind themselves to even contact each other. There was no love, no passion, nothing but their parents expectations weighing heavy on both of their shoulders. Sure, both Jisoo and Bobby’s parents were obsessed with the idea of childhood friends marrying and creating a family. And sure, Jisoo and Bobby have cared for each other since they were little kids, but was it what Bobby and Jisoo even wanted?

“I just...I guess I just don’t know how to let you go, Bobby. We’ve been together for so long I just don’t know how to do anything else,” Jisoo admitted after a long minute of silence between the two.

“I understand. I know this will mess up our parents’ friendship. They’ve always wanted us together, but is it worth ruining _our_ friendship over? I love you, Jisoo, and I know you love me. I’d take a bullet for you in a second. But, do you _love_ me?” Bobby asked, exaggerating the latter love. 

Jisoo once again went into a silence but her heavy breathing could still be heard through the line. After a moment of thinking, she confided, “I don’t know, Bobby, I just don’t know anymore. Do you love me?”

Bobby’s heart sank at the question. He knew those words had been hanging on the edge of Jisoo’s lips for months and he knew that his answer would have to come out eventually, but nothing could prepare him for her reaction. With a gulp, Bobby said, “I love you, Jisoo, but I’m not in love with you.”

Jisoo’s breath hitched over the line and Bobby could only assume that tears began to run makeup down her face at his words. With a sniffle, she replied with a shaky voice, “I understand. Let’s just sleep on it, okay? I’ll talk to you later, Bobby. Have a good day.”

“I’m sorry,” Bobby replied with his heavy heart weighing down on his shoulders and his words. Jisoo didn’t bother to reply before he heard the call come to a close from her end.

Sadness washed over Bobby after the conversation ended, and he was endlessly thankful that Yunhyeong was God knows where so he didn’t have to see tears prick Bobby’s eyes. Bobby knew that this conversation would take place sooner or later, which was partially the reason for him keeping his distance from his girlfriend for the past few weeks. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn’t bring himself to hurt somebody he cared about so deeply, even if that caring didn’t transfer to romantic love or even lust anymore.

Bobby wanted a fresh start so desperately. A fresh start away from his parents’ expectations, away from his less than mediocre relationship with Jisoo, and a fresh start with somebody new. Bobby hadn’t felt passion or such a high peak of interest in anybody in years, so when he met Hanbin, everything began to click into place and it scared Bobby to death. He couldn’t be with Hanbin while he was with Jisoo; his younger was just too special to be one of Bobby’s side flings. Bobby wanted something real, and he knew Hanbin was the answer if he could just come to terms with breaking Jisoo’s heart, Jisoo’s parents’ hearts, his own parents’ hearts, and maybe even his own.

Although Bobby knew that the love from his and Jisoo’s relationship had been long gone, run off into the gutters with some rain long, long ago, he was still hurting. Jisoo had been a part of his life for as long as he could remember, and her absence as his girlfriend would begin a brand new chapter of his life far away from the drunken high school romance. He knew it was time, but it didn’t make it any easier.

Before Bobby could fall even further into his emotions, his phone buzzed beside him. He picked it up to reveal a text from Hanbin, and his face immediately erupted into a smile.

**Hanbin:** Hey Bobby! I was wondering if you’d like to start working on our project today?

Bobby quickly replied in agreement to the younger as he hopped out of bed with newfound energy and began to find an outfit for the day. He knew in that moment that this excitement to see somebody, this excitement to talk to somebody was what romance was all about. It was nervousness and blushing smiles and talking until the sun rose. Romance was Hanbin, not Jisoo.

After a few minutes of preparing, two nervous knocks sounded on Bobby’s door in succession. Knowing it was Hanbin, the elder quickly situated his bed to look semi-presentable and opened the door with a wide smile.

“Hey, Hanbin, come on in,” Bobby invited as Hanbin, all smiles with a notebook and a pencil in hand, walked into the room and took a seat at the edge of Bobby’s bed.

Bobby followed suit, making a point to sit closer to Hanbin than he would anybody else. The elder situated his knee on top of Hanbin’s and peeked under his snapback to see the younger’s reaction to the closeness. The usual pink blush that colored Hanbin’s cheeks was present, but he made no effort to move away as he opened his notebook and clicked his mechanical pencil until lead came out.

“So, the professor said we could either write a paper on a historical figure we’ve learned about so far or we could do something hands on. What are you thinking?” Hanbin asked, immediately going into formalities.

“Well, I’m not really somebody who enjoys writing papers,” Bobby admitted as he chuckled. “Let’s do something hands on. Didn’t you say you wanted to be a composer? Let’s write something.”

“Really? Okay, yeah sure. That sounds good!” Hanbin agreed as he ran his hands through his silky hair. “Do you have any lyrics on you? We could start with something one of us already has.”

“That’s a good idea,” Bobby replied as he searched his room for the old, beaten up composition notebook that all of his lyrics were in. With just a few looks around the room, Bobby found it laying on the top shelf of his desk, hidden from the world.

He got up from the bed and grabbed it in one quick motion. Next, he opened up the scribbled on pages to peak through and see if anything he had written was any good. The more pages he flipped, the more nervous Bobby became. What if Hanbin thought his writing was garbage? What if their writing styles were completely different and they couldn’t find anything that melded together?

Before Bobby could worry for too long, Hanbin broke the silence between them, “May I see?”

Bobby gulped but handed the notebook over with a nod. The younger carefully flipped through the worn-out pages of the notebook, his gentle fingers making sure not to cause any tears. Nervousness flooded Bobby’s system and a few beads of sweat collected by his brow, especially since Hanbin’s expression showed no signs of his feelings about the songs.

“So, uh, what do you think?” Bobby asked after a few minutes, his anticipation bubbling up and getting the best of him.

Hanbin looked up with a smile that reached his eyes and Bobby swore his teeth were brighter than stars on even the darkest nights as he spoke, “You’re really fucking good, Bobby. Seriously.”

Now it was Bobby’s turn to blush the color of pink hearts on candy boxes on Valentine’s Day as he responded, “Thank you; that really means a lot. Do you think we could use any of it?”

“Absolutely. We could use a lot of it, but I actually - wait, hold on,” Hanbin said, his words trailing off at the end of his muddled sentence as he flipped through the pages of the notebook he brought on his own. Bobby tried to peer at it curiously, but all the elder could make out was scribbles similar to the ones in his own notebook. Before Bobby could get a closer look, Hanbin continued. “These lyrics that you wrote here, ‘you left behind a light smile; left with a smiling face, pretending to firmly believe in our promise. I should’ve done everything to make you stay.’ I have something that could work really well with that.”

Hanbin turned his notebook around to show Bobby the lyrics side-by-side. Hanbin’s writing was just as messy as his own, but Bobby thought it was much cuter than his. The younger pointed to a paragraph of words on his notebook and Bobby read Hanbin’s words aloud, “Hey Mr. Airplane, stop for a moment, it’s raining. The wind is blowing, it’ll be dangerous if you go now. Hey Mr. Airplane, stop for a moment, there’s a lot of time. There’s tomorrow too, so let her come off or let me get on.”

Bobby’s eyes widened at the words, thoroughly impressed with the younger’s skills. When he looked up, Hanbin was gazing at him expectantly, a look of nervousness flushed over his face. Bobby continued in order to ease the younger’s mind, “Hanbin, you’re amazing. We could make something really kickass with this. I think the lyrics you showed me should be the chorus. It would make a really pretty melody.”

“Really, you think so?” Hanbin questioned almost in shock. “Thank you, Bobby. I’m honored, especially with how talented you are. Can I ask though, if it’s not too personal of course, what are your lyrics about?”

Bobby’s body turned cold in that moment, and not because of Hanbin’s chilly hands resting on the elder’s knee. He swallowed before answering, “They’re lyrics about a girl I used to love. We both knew that the relationship between us was ending, but I still felt bad about how everything went down.”

The elder spoke in past tense, but truth be told, the lyrics were about Jisoo. Although the words were written months ago, the meaning behind them still held true and relevant to his situation with her that day. Bobby wanted to be into Jisoo the way he was into Hanbin, but he just couldn’t. Not when Hanbin looked at him with so much soul and touched him with such careful, cold hands. Sure, Bobby could sleep with Hanbin with Jisoo’s blessing, but he wanted so much more than firey passion for one night with someone as loving and interesting and passionate as Hanbin. After a few seconds of thinking, Bobby returned the question, “What are yours about?” 

“I wrote them about this fling I had on vacation a few summers back. The boys and I went to Jeju for two weeks and I met this boy who became my boyfriend of sorts for the two weeks we were there. It wasn’t anything serious, but it felt like the world was crashing on me when he left a few days before me. So, I wrote to the airplane asking for him back,” Hanbin admitted, his head falling down to analyze the lyrics once again.

“So why did you change the gender in the lyrics?” Bobby asked curiously, his fingers absentmindedly falling onto Hanbin’s wrist.

Hanbin jerked slightly in surprise and looked at Bobby’s hands thoughtfully, but once again made no move to change positions as he answered. “Heteronormativity and all that. I thought people would connect to it more if a boy sang about a girl instead of about another boy.”

“Honesty is important in music, though,” Bobby thought aloud, his hand moving away from Hanbin to land instead on his chin, rubbing his fingers back and forth against the scratchy section of skin. “Obviously it’s completely up to you, but I think you should change the lyrics if you ever decide to publish them. I think people will relate to your raw honesty. Plus, who doesn’t love a cute boy who likes boys?”

Another blush washed over Hanbin’s cheeks, except this time more red than pink. He smiled, “Well, for the project I’m going to keep it to female pronouns, especially to match your lyrics. But I think you’re right; I’ll start writing more honestly instead of trying to hide pieces of me in my music. Good artists bare their souls to the public for the sake of art and I want to be a good artist.”

“From what I can tell you already are,” Bobby admitted honestly as he leaned his back against the headboard of his bed. “I think honesty just takes time. It’s hard to be completely honest, especially about situations and topics that are most intimate to you. You’ll get there, though. You’re too good not to.”

Hanbin smiled back at his elder as both Bobby and Hanbin’s phones buzzed with the notification of a text. A few bursts followed suit and the two deferred their attention from one another to look at their phones. Both had messages from the same friends.

**Yunhyeong:** Jinhyeong is having a party next weekend at his parents’ place and invited the whole crew. Who’s down?  
 **Jinhwan:** Fuck yeah! I can drive everybody.  
 **Junhoe:** Who’s Jinhyeong? But if free alcohol is involved you can bet your sweet ass I’ll be there.  
 **Yunhyeong:** He’s an acquaintance of Bobby, Jinhwan, and I’s from last year. He’s a cool dude and he throws sick parties.  
 **Donghyuk:** I’ll go if you promise to never use the word sick in that context again.  
 **Yunhyeong:** It’s a deal, honey  <3\. 

The two chuckled at their friends banter as Bobby looked up from his phone to Hanbin and talked, “So, are you going?”

“I mean, why not? What’s the worst that can happen? Plus, I like free booze just as much as Junhoe does,” Hanbin responded as he typed back a message to the new group chat.

“Well, if you’re going, I’ll go too. You and I can pre-game together with some weed if you’re down,” Bobby offered in hopes of having more alone time with the cute freshman.

Hanbin nodded hurriedly and with a smile draping over his features, “I’d love that.”

A few minutes later, the two said their goodbyes with a hug that lingered a bit too long. Bobby’s hands clasped together at the small of Hanbin’s back, and the younger wrapped his small fingers around Bobby’s neck. They smiled at each other one last time before Hanbin left the room and made his way down the hall. Bobby watched his every step and the way his hips swished back and forth as Hanbin entered his own room, the elder happy that he had made it safely even if it was only a short walk from his own room to Hanbin’s. 

As Bobby closed his door, he knew something was painfully clear. It was there from the first day he met Hanbin, but it had been muddied by outside forces until that moment. And that was that he had to break up with Jisoo. He had to break up with Jisoo for her, for his own good, and most importantly: for Hanbin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody! I hope you enjoyed the sixth installment of this story, and I would really appreciate comments if you have the time! Also, as a side note, the lyrics I used are from ikon's song airplane. I used colorcodedlyrics for the English translations.


	7. Ice

Smoke lingered around Bobby and Hanbin as they sat in the cleared off spot in the back of the woods, passing a blunt back and forth between one another. Although the duo had only been there together three times now, Hanbin felt that this spot was theirs in a sense. Even though countless college students had walked and littered on those wooded trails, Hanbin felt a sense of peace sitting in that spot with Bobby that he didn’t feel in any other place on campus. 

Bobby looked as handsome as ever that Friday night. His usual attire of joggers and a sweatshirt was replaced by ripped jeans and a t-shirt that was on the looser side but still hugged his toned frame in all the right places. Hanbin had a hard time not glancing at the definition of his abs through the shirt as casual conversation was passed between them. 

As the elder blew out an unusually large puff of smoke, he addressed the younger, “You look really nice tonight, Bin.”

Hanbin smiled bashfully as he returned the compliment, “You look really good too. Are you trying to impress someone?”

“Maybe,” Bobby winked at him, a flirtatious gaze ghosting over his features and Hanbin felt his body scorch from just looking at the elder. Just as Hanbin was about to take the last hit of the blunt, Bobby’s phone buzzed with a text.

Tearing his gaze from the younger, Bobby opened his phone and laughed lightly at the text. He speedily typed back a reply and then spoke, “Jinhwan is wondering where we’re at. You ready to head to your first college party?”

“I am,” Hanbin responded as Bobby held his hand out for the younger. Hanbin took it happily as Bobby hoisted him up off of the ground. They both carelessly dusted off the bottom of their pants of dirt and debris from the outdoors and made their way to Jinhwan’s apartment, which was just a short walk North of the woods. 

When they arrived at the apartment buildings, they could see Donghyuk and Junhoe piled into Yunhyeong’s car while Jinhwan sat alone in his to keep spots open for Hanbin and Bobby. Hanbin chose to ignore the rapid fire movements in Yunhyeong’s car, assuming the trio was in a playful argument or dancing their hearts out to some shitty song on the radio. 

Bobby chivalrously opened the door for Hanbin and then climbed into the front seat of Jinhwan’s car. Jinhwan scoffed once Bobby put his seatbelt on, “You two disgust me.”

Hanbin and Bobby both chuckled, but the younger didn’t notice the wary glance Jinhwan gave to Bobby as they began driving to Jinhyeong’s house, which was only a 10 minute drive away. Before even opening the car doors once they arrived, the group could hear music bumping through the two-story house and into the street. Although the party had only started an hour ago, it seemed to be in full swing judging from the copious amount of cars littering the cul-de-sac near Jinhyeong’s house. 

“Don’t you think we’ll get busted with the music being so loud?” Hanbin asked nervously, his body freezing at the idea of getting a drinking ticket. He’d lose his scholarships, he’d lose his pride, and most importantly: his mother would fucking kill him.

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Jinhwan responded carelessly as he pulled his key out of the ignition. “Parties don’t usually get busted until around 1 or 1:30 and it’s only 10:30. If it gets too rowdy, we can head out early. I don’t want to get busted either.”

Hanbin calmed a bit at his elder’s words, but some nervousness still remained. Sure, he’d been to plenty of high school parties but he never was really the party type. He prefered kickbacks with 20 people over a rager that resulted in broken furniture and arrests. Bobby seemed to feel differently. Although Bobby always seemed to be buzzing with excitement, he appeared especially hyped up as the six of them walked up to the door of the party. Maybe it was the atmosphere, maybe it was the weed.

When they walked in, the group was immediately greeted by a layer of smoke and the smell of alcohol. Some people were dancing in the living room, some were chatting on the sidelines, but most of the chaos was heard from the kitchen where Hanbin could vaguely see people taking shots. 

So, the group followed the promise of alcohol and made their way into the kitchen. Jinhyeong, Hanbin assumed, was a handsome boy with golden skin and he immediately greeted Jinhwan, Bobby, and Yunhyeong with words of welcome and encouragement to drink as much as they pleased. He also gave a polite hello to the three freshman, but made his way back to the alcohol before making proper introductions.

“What’s your poison?” Bobby asked dangerously close to Hanbin, his breath ghosting over the younger’s ear, his lips just out of reach.

“Surprise me,” Hanbin responded flirtatiously.

Bobby nodded as he mixed two identical drinks for the both of them. Hanbin wasn’t sure what all was in it, but there certainly was a lot more alcohol than anything else. As the other four grabbed drinks of their own, they clinked their glasses together as Bobby cheered, “Cheers to a good ass night!”

Everyone in the room, including people outside of the group, cheered alongside them as they all downed their drinks in one swift gulp. Hanbin believed the drink he was given probably should’ve been taken in slow swallows instead of shot-style, but it didn’t stop him from enjoying the burn down his throat and especially enjoying the way Bobby looked at him once he downed his own.

Once the group finished, a girl Hanbin recognized from his Creative Writing class walked up to them and asked, “Hey we’re about to play Flip Cup, do you guys want to join?”

“Nah, we’re going to go dance,” Yunhyeong responded as he gestured to Jinhwan, Junhoe, and Donghyuk. “Thank you though!”

She smiled politely at them as she turned her attention to Hanbin and Bobby, “How about you guys? Want to play?”

Bobby looked at Hanbin expectantly, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he spoke, “The game’s really fucking fun, Bin. Have you ever played?”

“No, but if you teach me I’ll play,” Hanbin replied with a newfound confidence. Bobby’s smile widened at his answer, which was just what the younger had wanted. Hanbin wasn’t much for drinking games, but if it meant spending time with Bobby then he’d become the fucking drinking game champion.

“Alright, it’s pretty simple,” the blonde started as she situated Hanbin and Bobby at the end of a six person line in the room adjacent to the kitchen, an identical six person line was aligned opposite of them. “The first person on each team downs their drink and then flips the cup so it’s standing upright. Then, the next person drinks and flips their cup. So on and so forth until the last person on the team successfully drinks and flips their cup. Whichever team finishes first wins. Does that make sense?”

“Easy enough,” Hanbin commented as the girl poured a gracious amount of jungle juice into each of their cups. 

Bobby smiled at Hanbin once the girl turned her attention back to the front of the line and his arm snaked around the younger’s shoulder as he spoke, “You’ll do great. Plus, they’re all already drunk so we have an advantage to the flipping of the cups.”

Hanbin chuckled at the elder as he scanned both his team and the opposing team. Although they all seemed friendly and harmless, he could sense the intoxication from the smell of their breath and the wobbling of their feet. Just as Hanbin had looked at each of the participants of the game, the girl who brought them into the dining room yelled, “Go!”

Everybody watched their first drinker intently with words of encouragements from their teammates being thrown their way. The first person on their team was a boy who drank rapidly as jungle juice spilled down his chin and onto his shirt, but it didn’t seem to bother anybody. Although he drank fast, it took him four attempts to successfully flip the cup.

The game was much more intense than Hanbin had anticipated as the desire to win made his body tense. After watching the four people on his team go before him, Hanbin believed he had the trick to the game down pretty well. Once it was his turn, he swiftly tilted his head back and poured the liquor down his throat in one swift gulp. Then, he put the cup on the edge of the dining room table and flipped it effortlessly in one try. His team cheered wildly as he smiled with pride and turned his head to Bobby.

Bobby followed Hanbin’s movements and also flipped the cup in one attempt. It was obvious he had previous experience at playing as his team erupted into celebration at their win and a proud smirk formed over both of their features.

They played a few more rounds of the game, but eventually Hanbin and Bobby switched places because the younger was a better finisher. After four wins, Bobby cheered wildly for the fourth time but this time picked up Hanbin in his arms as he cheered. Hanbin giggled and smiled as he pumped his fist in the air and the team celebrated alongside them. They were cheering for the win but Hanbin was cheering because he was in Bobby’s arms.

Once Bobby put him down, a strong sense of dizziness from the alcohol finally set in and Hanbin stumbled a bit. Bobby immediately put his hand on the small of Hanbin’s back to steady him as the elder addressed their teammates, “Thanks for letting us join, but I think we’re gonna go dance. It was fun!”

The teams bid their goodbyes as Bobby ushered Hanbin to the living room. “You _are_ going to dance with me, right?” Bobby asked as he extended his hand out to Hanbin.

The younger formed the most flirtatious gaze he could onto his features in the haze of being cross faded as he placed his hand in Bobby’s calloused one. Bobby smiled a crooked smile with his crooked teeth as he pulled Hanbin into the living room to dance. Half of the smile was crooked because of Bobby’s inherited charm, half of it was from the liquor.

As Hanbin was pulled into the living room, his legs stumbling slightly with every step, he got lost in his thoughts for a moment. Essentially, Hanbin had come to the party to socialize. He knew before he came that he’d cling to the other five as he maneuvered his way around the party, but the end result was much different than he had anticipated. Junhoe, Yunhyeong, Donghyuk, and Jinhwan were God knows where doing God knows what, but they were far from Bobby and Hanbin’s minds. The two, whether it be from intoxication on liquor or weed or each other, had gone into a world of their own. A swarm of people surrounded the two, but their eyes never strayed from one another and their bodies always touched. Sometimes the touches were gentle caresses of hands interlaced with arms and sometimes the touches were as encompassing as flames, their bodies becoming one when they grinded them together alongside other partygoers.

The pair moved together in an abstract way, but it melded perfectly. Bobby was fire; all of his touches burned Hanbin’s skin and his movements were all-encompassing. Hanbin was ice; his movements were clear-cut and sharp and froze Bobby to the bone when he hit the perfect spots on the elder’s body. 

After a few songs, the duo’s legs ached but they still couldn’t get enough of one another, so Bobby dragged Hanbin carefully back to the kitchen for more privacy. Most of the alcohol had been consumed by that point and only drops of vodka and a few beers remained on the kitchen counters.

Hanbin’s world was in an intoxicated haze, but he could still see Bobby so clearly. He was breathing heavier from the dancing, his broad chest moving up and down at a more rapid pace than usual. Hanbin knew his chest was doing the same, but he couldn’t help but admire the way Bobby’s chest and abs poked through his shirt with every inhale. In a gust of bravery and pure stupidity, Hanbin reached his hand up to touch Bobby’s chest, his fingers trailing down to the end of his shirt. His breath hitched as he felt the outlines of his abs.

Bobby growled lowly at the touches, goosebumps forming on his skin the further Hanbin traveled south. Before Hanbin could reach his belt, Bobby pushed his hips against the younger until Hanbin was up against the wall, their half-hard ons touching one another through the layers of clothing.

Hanbin’s breath hitched in his throat at the sensation, everything heightened by the liquor, the weed, the atmosphere and Bobby’s overwhelming presence. The elder moved his hand to the side of Hanbin’s face to push a strand of hair from Hanbin’s eyes and the younger leaned his head into it. For the first time that night, the atmosphere felt less burning hot and more gentle and loving as a soft smile lightened Bobby’s features. 

Bobby then cupped Hanbin’s face and began to lean in. This was it. _This_ was the moment Hanbin had been waiting for since he saw those plump, pink lips. Hanbin wanted to keep admiring Bobby, but he closed his eyes in anticipation, waiting for electricity to bounce between them as their mouths became one.

Just as Bobby’s breath touched Hanbin’s lips and his hair tickled Hanbin’s cheeks, a scream could be heard from outside. An all too familiar voice echoed from the backyard into the kitchen, “Fuck you, Yunhyeong, fuck you!”

Hanbin’s body reacted instantly to Donghyuk’s voice, the passion and heat of the moment disappearing like vapor at the yells. Bobby immediately pulled away and his body tightened as he spoke, “God fucking dammit.”

A swarm of people ran outside in the next few seconds in hopes of seeing a fight break out, but all Hanbin could feel was urgency, worry, and pure fear. He ran through the crowd with ease, his intoxication quickly leaving his body and adrenaline took it’s place as he maneuvered his way through the crowd, Bobby hot on his tail. 

Once they made it to the front, Hanbin could see Yunhyeong and Donghyuk pushing each other as angry tears flew down their faces. They were yelling, but it was incoherent in their drunken, emotional state. Hanbin flew for Donghyuk, pulling him away from his boyfriend with much difficulty as Bobby yanked Yunhyeong in the opposite direction.

The familiar, strong arms of Junhoe surrounded the two just a few seconds later as he helped pull Donghyuk further away from the chaos. As Jinhwan came out of the back door, Donghyuk spat at Yunhyeong, “I can’t believe you! I fucking love you, Yunhyeong! Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you!”

Jinhwan immediately began pushing people back into the house as he hissed, “Get the fuck back inside. This is none of your damn business.”

Most of the crowd followed Jinhwan’s orders as Donghyuk crashed onto the ground, the strength of the fall taking Hanbin down with him. Donghyuk began to sob into Hanbin and Junhoe as he pounded his fists into the grass in rage and despair. 

Jinhwan approached them once he got the last of the party-goers back inside and tossed Junhoe his keys, “You three go to my car and I’ll take you back to the dorm.”

Junhoe nodded in agreement as Hanbin attempted, but failed, to quiet Donghyuk down. Jinhwan then made his way over to the other two; Bobby had pushed Yunhyeong into the side of the house and attempted to calm him down and it appeared to be working at least a little bit.

“Alright, Dong, let’s go,” Junhoe encouraged soothingly, his usual sassy demeanor exchanged for the caring June underneath. Both Hanbin and Junhoe lifted Donghyuk and threw his arms over their shoulders. The two did most of the work of getting Donghyuk to the car because he was still in hysterics, his mouth heaving with sobs and his legs as wiggly as jelly. 

Junhoe unlocked the car and helped scoop Donghyuk into the backseat. Hanbin sat right next to his best friend and rubbed soothing circles into his back as his sobs finally began to calm. As Hanbin looked out of the window, he saw Jinhwan talking to Bobby as Yunhyeong and him climbed into Yunhyeong’s car. An ache fell over Hanbin’s chest as he thought about Bobby and how he wouldn’t wake up next to him tomorrow but quickly shook the thought from his head to turn his attention back to Donghyuk, who was now just sniffling instead of retching out sobs.

Jinhwan climbed into the driver’s seat after watching Bobby drive off with Yunhyeong in the passenger seat. The eldest turned the car on and began driving back to campus, the car in complete silence now except for Donghyuk’s occasional sniffling. He dropped them off right at the door of their building a few minutes later before speaking somberly, “I know you guys don’t have cars, so if there’s anything any of you need please let me know. Yunhyeong and Bobby are going to stay at my place tonight, but I’m here for you three too. I hope things are okay, Donghyuk.”

“Thank you,” Junhoe said politely and Hanbin nodded in agreement as they began making their way for the door of their building. Jinhwan smiled slightly, unsure of what to say in an environment that painfully sad and awkward before driving away. 

The three made their way to Hanbin and Donghyuk’s room in silence, ignoring the questioning gazes from their neighbors as they unlocked the door and gently dropped Donghyuk onto his bed. Hanbin sat on his own bed and Junhoe joined him, the tingles of their buzzes long gone in the heat and chaos of the fight.

The friends stayed silent for a few minutes, waiting and hoping that Donghyuk would speak first and explain what happened between the sweet kisses shared before the festivities to the screaming match that ensued at the party. Junhoe couldn’t bare the silence any longer so he spoke as softly as his deep voice could manage, “So, what happened?”

Donghyuk sniffed and wiped a few stray tears from his eyes as he rolled over to face his friends, “I think Yunhyeong and I are done for good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading! Please leave comments, even if they're yelling at me for doing this to Yundong...I'm sorry! I hope all of your weeks go well <3.


	8. Fire

Bobby awoke the morning after the party feeling groggy, gross, and unhygienic. The jeans and t-shirt he sported the night previous still clung to his frame; his entire body sprawled across Jinhwan’s spare bed in his guest room. A cup of coffee in a white mug that said _World’s Best Dad_ sat on the night stand beside him, most likely courtesy of Jinhwan, and he couldn’t help but chuckle.

Once Bobby could semi-ignore the headache that pounded through his forehead, he rose from the bed and made his way to the living room. Yunhyeong was the only one there, an oversized hoodie engulfing his frame as he sat in silence, a mug of coffee cupped in both hands. His phone was across the room from where he sat on the couch. Bobby tried to ignore the fact that Yunhyeong avoided the loveseat he had always sat in with Donghyuk.

The younger of the two sat down gently next to Yunhyeong and propped his feet up on the coffee table as he spoke, “Hey, how are you doing this morning?”

Yunhyeong brought the cup to his lips and took a sip of the steaming drink before sighing, “I could be much, much better but at least I’m not dead.”

Bobby tried desperately to form a response that would be appropriate for his friend’s level of sadness. Usually the two of them were filled with jokes and smiles and good times, so the somberness that sat amongst them felt wrong and uncomfortable to Bobby. Of course the duo had helped each other through hardships of bad grades and persistent parents, but nothing to this degree. Bobby had always assumed that Yunhyeong would be with Donghyuk forever; it just seemed like that’s what the fates had lined up for the both of them. Before he could get too carried away in thoughts about the end of Donghyuk and Yunhyeong and ultimately the end of the group, he asked, “So, what exactly happened? Only if you’re ready to talk about it of course.” 

Yunhyeong sat his drink on the coffee table and began to fidget with his fingers before replying, “I’m an asshole, that’s what happened. Donghyuk has done nothing but try to help me these past few months with all of the shit swirling in my head and I still pushed him away and treated him like shit. I feel fucking awful.”

“Have you tried to talk to him? Do you think you can fix it?” Bobby questioned as he turned his body towards Yunhyeong, folding his legs underneath him.

“I texted him this morning but it didn’t even deliver. He damn near blocked me,” the elder of the two huffed as he pushed his hair out of his face. “I don’t know if I can fix it, honestly. I didn’t mean the things I said, I really didn’t. My anger just blew out of proportion and I let it out on him, which was fucking stupid.”

“I mean, it can’t be _that_ bad. What exactly did you say?” Bobby continued asking. He felt poorly for digging deeper into the fresh wound of Yunhyeong and Donghyuk’s fight, but he wanted to have all of the facts before giving his friend advice. 

“To make a long story short, I basically told him that he was being annoying and to fuck off. Once he started getting mad and started crying I called him an annoying crybaby who needed to get off my back. I felt horrible once I said it, but then he kept firing back about how I was a shitty boyfriend and it just got out of control,” Yunhyeong explained as a tear escaped his eye. He quickly wiped it away before continuing. “Usually we can keep our cool around each other even if we’re both in shitty moods. I have no idea how it got so out of control, but I would do fucking anything to fix it.” 

“Ouch,” Bobby proclaimed and Yunhyeong gave him an irritated look. The younger wrapped his arm around his roommate as he spoke. “Honestly though, I really think you two can get through this. It will take some serious fucking work, but I have never seen any two people so in love before and that means something. I’d say give Donghyuk some space for a bit and try to plan what you want to say to him. I know it’ll be torture being away from him, but rushing back in isn’t going to do anything but hurt the both of you.”

“You know, you’re not as dumb as you look,” Yunhyeong replied, and Bobby took it as his own form of thank you despite the insult. 

“And how dumb do I look?”

“Pretty fucking dumb,” Yunhyeong asserted as they both chuckled with smiles brightening their faces. They both felt better with even a small dose of happiness surrounding them. As the laughs faded, Yunhyeong continued. “So what the fuck is up with you and Hanbin?”

Bobby froze at the mention of Hanbin. He had almost forgotten about the day before’s activities due to the chaos of the fight that ended the night in tears and anguish. Bobby heaved a sigh as he encased his face in his hands and rubbed them back and forth, “I have no fucking idea.”

“You know, you can’t fuck with Hanbin while you’re with Jisoo,” Yunhyeong stated sternly, the laughs long disappeared. “He’s too good for that kind of nonsense. Plus, he’s absolutely head over heels for you, and if you break his heart I’m not afraid to kick your ass. I love you, but you can’t hurt him.”

“I know, I know,” Bobby broke in immediately, urgency and honesty coating his voice. “I’m going to break up with Jisoo and talk to Hanbin about everything today. I care about him so fucking much I can’t even describe it to you.”

“I know you do, which is why you need to break up with Jisoo. For all three of you,” Yunhyeong nagged as he got up from the couch to put his used cup in the sink. Once he walked back to Bobby, he talked again. “Now, let’s head back to the dorm. We both smell like shit and need new clothes.”

Bobby agreed as he placed his own cup in the sink and made his way out of the door. When they walked outside, Jinhwan’s car was nowhere to be found, so he assumed his elder was out running errands or at the library studying to avoid Yunhyeong and Bobby’s snores. 

The drive back to the dorm took a few short minutes and the two snuck up the stairs as swiftly as they could to avoid Donghyuk and Hanbin’s room. After reaching their own room, the two gathered their necessities for a shower and headed to a stall.

Bobby felt instant relief once the water hit his hot skin. Even though the water pressure was shit, it felt good to rinse the sweat and grime of yesterday off of himself. The only part he regretted was washing traces of Hanbin off of his body. Through the insanity of the fight between Yunhyeong and Donghyuk, he hadn’t even gotten to kiss the handsome boy.

The night before, despite the movie-worthy tragic ending, was out of a dream. Hanbin and Bobby were so connected in every way: through their conversations and through their bodies. There had to be at least 65 people walking around Jinhyeong’s house that night, but the only one Bobby could see was Hanbin. 

Love was a funny concept to Bobby. Sure, he loved Jinhwan and Yunhyeong, and he was slowly growing to love Junhoe and Donghyuk. Even Jisoo once had his affections, but after meeting Hanbin he wasn’t sure if love was ever the word to describe his relationship with his girlfriend. Of course Bobby wasn’t in love with Hanbin so early on in their bond, but if given the time to flourish and grow, Bobby knew he’d put Hanbin on a pedestal above the rest of the world. Hanbin was so intelligent, sweet, and passionate underneath the hard exterior and eyes that could freeze anyone who crossed his path. Bobby had only dug just below the surface of what there was to discover about Hanbin and he was parched for more.

Bobby knew that he had to break up with Jisoo. He knew it a long time ago and his absolute fascination with Hanbin had pushed Bobby to his breaking point. One night stands were great and sufficed for over two years of Jisoo and Bobby’s relationship, but the excitement and bashfulness he felt around Hanbin was something he didn’t know he desired so much, something he _needed_ so much. 

Once Bobby left the shower, dried off, and put on his usual attire, he made his way back to his room. Surprisingly, no traces of Yunhyeong remained, but Bobby assumed he had gone for a walk or to the dining hall to eat something that would cure this insatiable hangover. He decided to then sit criss-crossed on his bed with his phone between his fingers, knocking it back and forth between his hands as he prepared for the call he had been dreading for months.

With a few deep breaths, Bobby dialed Jisoo’s number and immediately brought his fingers to his lips in nervousness. Each ring brought Bobby one step closer to freedom and one step closer to insanity. He didn’t want to hurt Jisoo, but he had to end it. He couldn’t live with having a significant other that wasn’t Hanbin for a second longer.

His hope faded after a few rings and the sound of Jisoo’s chipper voice rang through her voicemail. Bobby sighed once he realized that she wasn’t going to pick up his call; out of relief or frustration, he wasn’t sure. He left a short message asking her to call him back and that it was urgent before hanging up and flopping on the bed. What the fuck was he supposed to do now? Patience was never Bobby’s forte. 

Bobby didn’t have to wait for long before a text buzzed his phone next to him. When he picked it up, a message from Hanbin appeared and Bobby couldn’t help but form a smile that scrunched his eyelids. 

**Hanbin:** How are you doing after last night? Do you still want to meet up today to finish the project? 

The elder of the two shot Hanbin back a reply almost immediately inviting him to his room. Once he sent the message, Bobby started hurriedly tidying up the messiest parts of his side of the dorm. He quickly made his bed, threw a few miscellaneous items into his desk drawers, and attempted to organize his shelves into looking somewhat presentable. Even though Hanbin had been in his room dozens of times, Bobby felt that this time was going to be much different after the events of the night previous took place.

It only took a few short minutes for Hanbin to arrive dressed in joggers and a sweatshirt with a sheepish smile covering his features. Bobby invited him in immediately and he took his usual spot at the end of the bed nearest to the door.

Words of admiration bubbled in Bobby’s throat and threatened to fall off of his lips the moment he laid eyes on Hanbin. He wanted to talk about the party so badly, about how happy he was when Hanbin was by his side, about how sad he was that he missed his lips in exchange for the chaos of Yunhyeong and Donghyuk’s fight, but he knew he needed to address something else first, so he spoke. “How’s Donghyuk?”

Hanbin sighed as he threw his hood off of his head, “He’s been laying in the fetal position on his bed since June and I got him home last night. He isn’t crying as much, but I haven’t gotten much out of him. How’s Yunhyeong? I texted him this morning but he didn’t reply.”

“He could be a lot better,” Bobby admitted as he leaned up against the wall. “I actually don’t know where he is, but we talked this morning and I think he has hope that he can turn this around. Do you think they’ll be able to fix this?”

“I’m really not sure,” Hanbin responded thoughtfully. “They’ve had dozens of fights but I’ve never seen one get that bad. They love each other so damn much that I think they can get through anything, but it’ll take some hard fucking work for them to fix this.”

Bobby nodded in agreement at Hanbin’s words. Yunhyeong and Donghyuk truly did seem perfect for one another, but having a fight that turned physical and caused a scene at a party was certainly one for the books. Although Bobby cared for both of them deeply, other events of the night previous were on the forefront of his mind, so he began, “Speaking of last night -”

“Wait, Bobby, before you say anything let me talk please,” Hanbin insisted gently as he peered up at Bobby. The brown eyes that stared up at him that were once icy and cold were now soft and loving as he peered at the elder. Bobby nodded before Hanbin continued, “I have a crush on you, a really giant crush actually. I thought you were handsome when Yunhyeong showed me pictures of you last year, but when I saw you in person I knew that I would end up liking you. You’re so interesting and fun and wild and everything I want to be. You’re just amazing, Bobby, and I wish I had the guts to say it sooner but I like you. I like you so much it makes me fucking crazy. I don’t know if you were so touchy with me last night because you were drunk or if you felt the connection too, but I thought I should tell you the truth.” 

Bobby’s heart swelled at the confession and he felt more goosebumps trail up his arms with each word Hanbin spoke. Butterflies erupted in his belly and he couldn’t help but smile as he took Hanbin’s hand gently in his own and spoke, “I like you too Hanbin, so fucking much. I’ve thought you were adorable since the moment I saw you and the feelings have only grown stronger as we’ve gotten closer. I love watching you open up, Hanbin. I feel so special knowing somebody as breathtaking as you feels comfortable confiding in me. I know it sounds so goddamn cheesy but I just think about you so much it makes me crazy.”

Hanbin’s cheeks turned as pink as cherry blossoms in spring and a smile as bright as the sun on the summer solstice lightened up his features as Bobby spoke nervous words from his lips. The elder swore his heart would bloom out of his chest at the sight of Hanbin and he didn’t think he could be happier than in the moments of their confessions.

That was until Hanbin grabbed Bobby’s sharp jaw between his hands and began to close his eyes as he moved his face closer and closer to the elder’s. Bobby froze in that moment, his skin turning cold and it wasn’t because Hanbin’s hands were on him.

Grudgingly, Bobby grasped the younger’s hands in his own and gently pushed him away. Hanbin gave him a look of confusion and pure surprise, hints of hurt covering his features at the elder’s actions. Bobby sighed deeply, knowing full well that the conversation ahead was inevitable. “Hanbin, there’s something I need to tell you.”

The look of confusion on Hanbin’s face only deepened as he replied, “Okay, what is it?”

“Well,” Bobby gulped as he played with his fingers anxiously. “I have a girlfriend.”

“You _what_?” Hanbin spat, his look of confusion replaced by pure, raging anger.

“Wait, wait let me explain,” Bobby insisted quickly, attempting to derail Hanbin from exploding before he got the full story, but the elder was already too late.

“What the _fuck_ could you possibly explain to me that would somehow make this okay? Not only have you lead me on to believe that I actually had a chance with you, up until the point of you actually fucking confessing, you’re a filthy fucking cheater,” Hanbin accused as he stood up from his spot on the bed, desperate to get as much distance between him and Bobby as possible. 

“Bin, I know I should’ve told you sooner, I’m so sorry. I was scared you’d hate me forever,” Bobby admitted sheepishly, knowing damn well that it wasn’t a good enough excuse to hide information as important as this from the younger.

“And I’d have a good fucking reason to,” Hanbin bit back icily, his previous soft demeanor exchanged for the sharp, cold protective one he put on for most of the world. The thicker Hanbin’s skin became, the bigger the tear in Bobby’s heart grew.

“I know, I know,” Bobby responded frantically as tears threatened to spill from his eyes. “The girl and I are in an open relationship. We’ve been heading for doom for months and are only together because of our parents. I know it doesn’t make it better, but I was actually going to break up with her today but she didn’t answer her phone and -”

“Save it, Bobby, fucking save it,” Hanbin shot back coldly. “I trusted you, I confided in you. I seriously fucking thought you’d be different and that your whole wild boy front was nothing more than a front, but I was painfully wrong.”

“Bin-”

“Don’t fucking call me that,” Hanbin snapped as he viciously wiped the spilled tears off of his cheeks. “I’m going to finish the project on my own. Once the presentation is done, I don’t want to fucking see you again.”

“Hanbin, I’m so sorry, I know I fucked up. You have to believe me that we were going to break up. I’ve wanted to leave her for months, but I never had a reason to until you. One night stands were fine until you. You’ve made me feel things I didn’t even know I could feel. I even get fucking butterflies around you like some hopeless grade school kid. I know I fucked up, but please let me fix it,” Bobby pleaded as he let hot tears fall from his eyes onto the sharp edges of his cheeks, not caring to wipe them away.

For a moment, Bobby swore Hanbin’s tightened jaw loosened at the elder’s words, but it snapped back into place before Bobby could analyze it further. As the younger opened the door and began exiting the room, he requested, “Don’t talk to me unless it’s about the project. I’ll see you on Monday.” 

After those last few words, Hanbin left and slammed the door behind him. They both knew that their neighbors must have heard their fight through the thin, white walls but Bobby knew that Hanbin didn’t care and frankly neither did Bobby. All Bobby cared about was the pained look on Hanbin’s face and how it was all his fault that it got there.

Bobby knew that telling Hanbin about Jisoo would be difficult, but not to this extent. He wasn’t sure how it would go, but he would give anything to have the chance to explain it again. The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt Hanbin. Hell, Bobby would rather be the one hurting if it meant Hanbin was happy. Tear after gentle tear spilled from Bobby’s eyes and onto his comforter as he traveled further and further into his thoughts.

He punched the wall in frustration, letting the throbbing pain in his fist remind him of Hanbin’s messy tears. Bobby rubbed his hands on his face and through his hair, desperately searching for a solution to this giant mess that had unfolded right in front of him and finding absolutely nothing.

Yunhyeong trailed into their room not much after Hanbin had left and yelled, “Why the fuck did I just see Hanbin leave our room crying?”

Bobby lifted his head from his hands to peer up at Yunhyeong, his face red with anger and sadness he couldn’t put into words. Yunhyeong’s frustrated expression quickly turned to confusion and worry after seeing his roommate's unfortunate state. Bobby wiped the remaining tears from his eyes and spoke in a strained voice, “I fucked it up, Yunhyeong. I fucked it up really fucking bad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! I know you all hate me and I'm sorry. Comments are always appreciated, even if it's just yelling at me <3.


	9. Ice

The Monday after the disastrous weekend was pure hell. After a night of tweaking _Airplane_ to the closest form of perfection that Hanbin could manage, the brunette ended up only sleeping three hours before having to present with Bobby.

The tossing and turning was partly because Hanbin was nothing less than a perfectionist. He knew each section of the song inside and out because he edited it easily 40 times, 40 different ways. Hanbin knew he was being stubborn, but the more he poured his heart into the project, the less time he had to contemplate the events of the weekend. Even though Bobby’s lyrics hung onto the song and on the edges of Hanbin’s mind, it was easy to get lost in the meticulous process of editing. 

On Sunday night, Hanbin planned to wear a semi-decent outfit to his joint presentation with Bobby in order to impress the professor, but come Monday morning he simply threw on a sweatshirt and ripped jeans before walking out the door, Donghyuk still fast asleep across from him. 

Hanbin made sure to arrive to class a little later than usual that day so he wouldn’t have to look at Bobby for a second longer than was absolutely necessary. Two minutes before the class began, he sauntered in with his head hung low and took a seat near the front of the class, completely ignoring Bobby’s aching eyes near the back of the classroom.

When he pulled out his phone to calm his shaking hands, a text from Junhoe appeared.

 **Junhoe:** I know today is going to be tough, but hang in there, you can do this. Hangout with Donghyuk and I in your room after class? I have Bacardi ;).

Hanbin smiled for the first time in what felt like weeks as he sent back a text agreeing to the bitch-fest that would ensue in his room later that day. He was interrupted from his haze by his blonde professor storming through the door and taking her seat at the back of the classroom.

“Alright, today we’re going to start presentations so let’s get right into it,” she began as she scanned the list grasped in her hands. Her pointer finger dragged down to a point near the end of the page before looking up to her students and speaking. “Kim Hanbin and Kim Bobby, you’re up. Amaze me.”

Nervousness struck down Hanbin’s spine as he nodded at the professor and stood up from his seat, doing his best not to peer back at his obnoxiously handsome and obnoxiously dickish partner a few rows back. Hanbin immediately started setting up his laptop on the professor’s desk, ignoring how close Bobby stood next to him once he made his way to the front of the room.

Bobby, to put it nicely, looked like shit. Although he smelled of his strawberry shampoo (Hanbin internally cursed himself for recognizing the scent), his hair was tangled and hardly styled. His clothes mirrored Hanbin’s, though the elder wore ratty sweatpants instead of jeans. He looked handsome despite it all, but Hanbin had a hard time recognizing that fact with rage blinding his vision. 

Bobby leaned in closer to whisper into the younger’s ear, but Hanbin shifted away with a look of disgust covering his features. Bobby sighed, “Good luck. I know it’s going to be amazing since you put so much work into it. Thank you for that.”

Hanbin rolled his eyes at the elder as he opened up the audio file, trying his best to hide his discomfort to his waiting classmates. He turned to Bobby and scoffed, “Save it.”

The elder’s face immediately contorted into a look of hurt, but Bobby said no more as he moved to the center of the classroom to await the sound of an airplane taking off to cue the beginning of their song. Bobby knew that Hanbin’s anger was out of control, but he couldn’t bring himself to become upset when he hurt the younger so badly. It made his stomach ache and tears tickle his eyes.

Hanbin pressed play and instantly put his hands in his pockets to hide the anxiety that shook them wildly. As his cue to begin sounded, Hanbin rapped with power and strength booming from his voice, “stop for a moment. If we keep this up, we won’t ever see each other again…”

The younger rapped flawlessly, letting the lyrics take him away from the nervousness of presenting and the sadness that flowed through his body at being so near to Bobby. Hanbin noticed the elder looking at him with loving eyes, but ignored it to assert power and dominance through his words.

By the time it was Bobby’s turn to rap, Hanbin felt tears prick at his own eyes. The emotions stirring from being so close to Bobby and watching him turned the younger to mush. The sharp angles of Bobby’s jaw flexed and moved in mesmerizing ways as he moved his hands to the rhythm of the song, letting the music take him to a place far away from the music theory class. It made Hanbin’s heart stir and flutter and he wanted nothing more than to escape this feeling, to escape how beautiful Bobby was. 

He was sent over the edge as Bobby began rapping the all-too-familiar words, “You left behind a light smile, left with a smiling face, pretending to firmly believe in our promise. I should’ve done everything to make you stay.”

Soft tears coated Hanbin’s face, but he kept his head down to avoid the questioning looks from his fellow students. As the younger began to end the song, his voice only cracking once, he could feel Bobby’s eyes on him, the brown orbs intense and hot with worry.

Once the song ended, the class erupted into applause much more enthusiastic than Hanbin had anticipated. The partners smiled weakly and bowed politely at the crowd before Hanbin grabbed his laptop and immediately left the room, furiously wiping away the tears that busted through his cold exterior and onto his cheeks.

Hanbin knew that the right thing to do was to politely sit through everybody else’s presentations instead of escaping the moment he could, but the brunette couldn’t bare to breathe the same air as Bobby for a second longer. It felt too heavy and painful and suffocating.

He almost made it to the exit of the building before he heard fast footsteps trailing behind him. He chanted in his head _please don’t be Bobby, please don’t be Bobby, please don’t be Bobby_ , but it didn’t change the fact that the boy was right behind him, grabbing onto the younger’s arm to stop him from leaving.

“Hey, are you okay? I saw you crying and I wanted to make sure you were doing alright,” Bobby admitted, honesty coating his words.

Hanbin wanted nothing more than to melt into Bobby’s embrace, to let his strong arms keep the younger from falling apart, but instead his body froze solid. The younger ripped his arm away from Bobby’s, leaving the elder’s hand cold and stiff. 

“I’m fine, now leave me alone,” Hanbin asserted, making it clear that he wanted nothing to do with the elder.

Bobby sighed, a look of sadness Hanbin had never seen before washing over his features. Hanbin almost felt bad about his ruthlessness, almost wanted to reach his hand out and cup the angles of Bobby’s face. Almost. Hanbin wanted to set his body on fire with Bobby’s touch that he missed so much. Even after the horrendous fight, Hanbin couldn’t forget the heat that encompassed his entire being just a few nights previous. And truth be told, he fucking missed Bobby. 

“I’m sorry, Hanbin,” Bobby blurted, his words heavy with dread. “I know I fucked up and I hope and pray that you’ll let me fix this.”

Hanbin was left speechless at the softness in Bobby’s eyes and the sadness that sunk his shoulders. Now the roles were reversed; Hanbin wanted to encompass Bobby in his arms and take away the pain he knew he was causing the elder, but his better judgement stopped him before he could reach out his hand. 

Bobby smiled weakly as he turned away from Hanbin, walking towards the other exit to the building. As the elder faded into the distance, tears began to stream down Hanbin’s face as he pushed the door open forcefully and started making his way to his room, completely ignoring the looming responsibilities in his other classes for the day. God damn Kim Bobby, god fucking damn him. 

Donghyuk and Junhoe were already cuddled up on Donghyuk’s bed when Hanbin got back into the room and flopped down directly on his bed. He furiously wiped the remaining tears from his eyes as his two best friends gave him questioning looks. 

Junhoe was the one brave enough to talk, “So...how’d it go?”

“I cried in the middle of the damn song like a little bitch,” Hanbin muttered into his pillow, smooshing his face further into the cushion to hide his embarrassment. “Then, I ran out of the classroom once we finished and the bastard ran after me and I basically told him to go fuck himself. So, it went swimmingly June.”

“Nothing Bacardi can’t fix,” Junhoe replied with a smirk as he poured some of the extra large container of liquor into a discarded water bottle on the floor. He then handed it to Hanbin and the elder smiled in appreciation.

“What’d Bobby say? How are you doing with that whole mess?” Donghyuk asked as he sat up in bed and leaned against the white walls opposite of Hanbin. The blonde pulled his knees to his chest as Junhoe poured more alcohol into each of their cups. 

Hanbin scoffed and took an abnormally large gulp of rum and let it shake his body and contort his face before responding, “It could be eons better. He’s trying to be nice and I guess I appreciate his efforts, but I’m too fucking angry to let him talk. Seeing him makes my blood boil, but it also makes my heart flutter. I fucking hate it.”

“You just like him, there’s nothing wrong with that,” Junhoe commented as he took a drink from his own cup. “He fucked up, he really did, and I’d be pissed too. I _am_ pissed, but do you think you two can make up?” 

Hanbin contemplated his friend’s question for a moment before responding, taking advantage of the silence by taking a swig of his drink. On one hand, he fucking hated Bobby for leading him on just to admit he had a girlfriend right before they were about to kiss. Hanbin felt like mentioning the whole girlfriend business ages ago would’ve saved a lot of hurt feelings all across the board, but he had to admit he probably would’ve crushed on Bobby regardless. The elder was everything Hanbin wanted in a man wrapped into an impossibly wild, hot package. He was fiery and passionate, but soft and caring underneath the surface, and Hanbin always wanted to be encompassed in his flames.

“I don’t know, honestly,” Hanbin admitted after a few moments of thinking as he criss-crossed his legs on the bed. “He seems apologetic enough but all of the bullshit emotions rush up when I see him and I can’t let him talk without getting furious. But at the same time I still like him so much, I hate myself so fucking much for it.”

“You can’t help who you fall for,” Donghyuk replied softly, his own face showing hints of sorrow. “I think that it’s ultimately your decision, but I’d at least listen to what Bobby had to say. Maybe there’s a better explanation for this whole mess than what he has had the opportunity to tell you. It doesn’t change the fact that he fucked up, but maybe he’ll go all out to make it up for you.”

Hanbin gave a small smile in response to his best friend’s words. He truly took what Donghyuk said into consideration, but it was hard to force a sincere smile when it felt like his bones were cracking every time he so much as thought of Bobby.

“How about you, Dong? What’s going on with Yunhyeong?” Junhoe asked, turning the conversation. Donghyuk sighed and downed the rest of his drink in response and the other two couldn’t help but laugh somberly. Junhoe continued sarcastically, “That good, huh?”

Donghyuk uttered a fake chuckle, “Yeah right. I mean, he’s been texting me at least two or three times a day but I haven’t been replying much. On Sunday he left roses outside of the door but I just threw them away. I feel bad about it, but I couldn’t bare to look at them.”

“Do you think you guys are going to make up?” Hanbin inquired as he poured more Bacardi into his water bottle, desperately hoping to numb the pain of his horrendous morning.

“For once, I’m really not sure,” Donghyuk replied thoughtfully as he leaned his head against his knees. “I can’t imagine my life without Yunhyeong. I feel like we’ve built too much for it to be knocked down to it’s foundation, but we certainly fucked up big time over the weekend. I think we both need to sit down and apologize and figure out where to go from here. If nothing else, we’ll come out of it as friends. I really don’t think I could live this shit life without him, even if we piss each other off. I just love him too much.”

“That’s hard, man,” Junhoe said as he patted Donghyuk’s hand in comfort. “I think that’s really mature of you both, though. I hope whatever happens is good for the both of you. I really do love you guys no matter how fucked up this whole situation gets. We were all friends before any of this shit went down.”

“You’re right,” Donghyuk smiled in response, and Hanbin swore it was the first genuine grin his best friend had given since the day of the fight and it sent a wave of comfort through the elder’s body. “Thank you for listening guys, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Of course,” Hanbin replied as he set his cup on his nightstand and turned his attention to the tallest boy in the room. “What about you, Junhoe? What’s new with you?”

“Ah, same old, same old. Just taking care of you two assholes,” Junhoe joked as Donghyuk hit his arm playfully. Junhoe chuckled as he continued, “Honestly not much is new. My roommate is really cool though and he’s also a literature major so I can geek out about books without hearing you guys groan about it.”

“He’s truly a God-sent then,” Donghyuk teased, but his expression turned more serious as he continued. “But truly, we’re always here to listen to each other, even if it’s about things we don’t always understand. Besides, it’s endearing to hear you geek out about literature.”

Hanbin nodded in agreement at Donghyuk’s statement and Junhoe smiled warmly at the two of them. Then, Junhoe poured more alcohol into each of their respected cups and scooted to the end of Donghyuk’s bed as he spoke, “I know these last few days have sucked, but just know that we’ll be together until the end. You guys are my best fucking friends and I’d take a bullet for either of you. Cheers!”

“Cheers!” the other two repeated as they clanked their drinks together, ignoring the bits of alcohol that dripped onto the floor beneath them.

Hanbin felt the best he had since the chaos of the weekend ensued. However, even with his two best friends beside him, something important was clearly missing, and he could tell the other two felt it as well. Yunhyeong had always been apart of the group, and Hanbin missed his smile and his little jokes that seemed much funnier in the moments without him than the moments that he was in. More surprisingly, two large holes where Bobby and Jinhwan would be felt enormous and consuming.

Over the past few weeks, the six of them had bonded. They got together nearly every night to share laughs, stories, and memories that Hanbin would never forget. Even through the hurt and rage that turned Hanbin’s body as cold as ice, he had to admit that all six of them had something special and he couldn’t bare to live without it, and that prospect was very possible. He chugged the rest of his drink at the thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I suck and am SUPER late on updating, but I appreciate you all for sticking with me <3\. Between tests, projects, and work, I've been kept super busy so I apologize for the lateness. Also, I promise some closure will be coming next chapter! As always, feedback is much appreciated. Thank you all so much for reading!


	10. Fire

It had been days since Bobby had stayed in his dorm room. After the insanity of the previous weekend mixed with Hanbin’s anger towards the elder, Bobby decided it’d be best to avoid the prospect of Hanbin’s icy eyes in the hallway by staying at Jinhwan’s place instead. Most days, Yunhyeong stuck around and slept with Bobby in the guest bed, but the boys could tell that Jinhwan was at his last limb with the two constantly taking up space in his apartment.

On Thursday afternoon, Bobby woke up at a ripe one o’clock in the afternoon and sat down on the couch to flip through some TV. Jinhwan and Yunhyeong would be out of class at any moment, so Bobby didn’t bother looking for something too fascinating. He settled on a cheesy drama before turning his attention to his phone.

There was still nothing from Jisoo despite Bobby’s consistency with messaging her. Most of his texts were from Yunhyeong and Jinhwan, but even Junhoe and Donghyuk sent an encouraging text a few days prior to check in on the three. Bobby thought it was endearing that they could get past the drama between himself and Hanbin as well as between Donghyuk and Yunhyeong to show their caringness for one another. Bobby hoped that it was a sign from God or whoever else that things might actually turn around.

However, the group chat between the six of the boys had been completely dead since the party. The last few texts were from Friday afternoon when Donghyuk and Yunhyeong were playfully teasing Bobby and Hanbin for running off together in the woods. Bobby smiled at the memory of their time together, but was met with sadness immediately after at the thought of Hanbin.

Bobby knew that Hanbin had every right to be pissed at the elder. If Hanbin had done the same to Bobby, he knew he’d spit just as much hatred at the younger, but it didn’t stop Bobby’s gut from clenching and tears to roll down his sharp cheeks every time Hanbin was so much as mentioned in conversation. All Bobby wanted to do was fix this situation that he had so irrevocably fucked, and all Hanbin wanted to do was steer clear of him.

Bobby was pulled from his thoughts once his phone lit up to reveal a call from Jisoo. Bobby’s eyes widened at the name brightening up the screen, but immediately answered with a sharp “Hello?”

“Hey,” Jisoo trailed off slowly, her voice hoarse and rough. “Sorry I haven’t called back. I’ve been sick.”

The brunette considered getting angry at his girlfriend for not responding for days on end. If she was sick, she could still have easily typed back a response saying so the day he called her. Bobby decided against it because he wanted to make the exchange as smooth as possible. He replied, “It’s okay. Shit happens. I do need to talk to you though.”

A small pause silenced the line before Jisoo responded, “Okay, what’s going on?”

“I know this is shitty to do over the phone,” Bobby gulped, nervousness immediately flooding his system as Jisoo let out a small gasp. “But we need to break up, Jisoo. I really do love you, but I can’t be with you anymore. My love for you is entirely platonic and I know you feel it too. Our parents will understand; we just can’t do this anymore.

A small squeak escaped Jisoo’s lips and Bobby knew instantly that she was tearing up. A pang shot through Bobby’s heart at the all-too-familiar sound, but he knew that this was for the best despite how hard this would be for her, for him, and for their parents. Bobby cleared his throat before continuing, “I’m so sorry, Jisoo. I wish things were different but I met somebody and he’s just too special. I’m so sorry. I hope that at the end of this we can remain friends. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“I knew there had to be somebody else,” Jisoo sniffed. “It’s okay, Bobby. This needed to happen months ago and we’ve just been hanging onto nothing. I love you too. I know sometime soon we’ll be able to fix this and be friends.”

Bobby smiled a somberly before concluding, “Thank you for being so understanding. Please let me know if you need help dealing with your parents. I wish you the best, kid. Please keep me updated on your life, okay?”

“I will and the same goes to you. Thank you, Bobby,” Jisoo said as she ended the call.

Bobby heaved a sigh of relief once he heard the call beep to a close. He tossed his phone onto the coffee table and let a smile cover his features. Certainly the break-up could’ve gone better and happened a lot sooner, but Bobby was content with leaving Jisoo behind with at least some form of closure.

When Jinhwan and Yunhyeong walked in moments after the call, Jinhwan raised his eyebrows at Bobby and began speaking, “What has you looking so happy?”

Jinhwan sat down next to Bobby and grabbed his hand comfortingly as Yunhyeong sat hesitantly in the loveseat to the right of them (a surprising turn of events). Bobby smiled softly as he turned to Jinhwan, “Jisoo finally called back and we broke up. It just feels like such a huge weight is off my shoulders.”

“That’s so good to hear,” Jinhwan smiled back at him as he lifted himself up from the couch. The smallest of the group then made his way to the kitchen to begin making some coffee before continuing. “What about you and Hanbin though?”

Bobby sighed at the mention of Hanbin as he pulled his knees to his chest. He leaned against them as Yunhyeong talked, “Still a tough subject, huh?”

“Yeah, it fucking sucks,” Bobby affirmed as Jinhwan entered the room with mugs filled with coffee for all three of them. The younger two nodded at the elder in thanks as Bobby continued, “I just miss him. I wish he’d at least let me talk to him without immediately starting to yell at me. I know I fucked up but I need to be able to get a word in.”

“Hanbin’s a tough one to crack,” Yunhyeong chimed in after taking a sip of his brew. “He’s just a really emotional guy, more emotional than any of us. The problem is he doesn’t really know how to express those emotions without putting up a wall. Once you crack through the wall, you’ve got him. It just takes time. Be patient with him.”

Bobby smiled and squeezed Yunhyeong’s hand tightly for a moment, “Thank you, Yunhyeong. I know this has to be even harder for you. How are you and Donghyuk and the others?”

“Well, there’s actually some exciting news,” Jinhwan interjected with a wiggle of the eyebrows. “Donghyuk’s coming over in a bit to talk with Yunhyeong.” 

“What! Really?” Bobby exclaimed as his body perked up in excitement. “That’s awesome! What do you think is going to happen?”

Yunhyeong blushed sheepishly, “Well, I think it’s looking up. We’ve been talking more everyday and when I asked him to meet to talk he said yes immediately. I miss him so damn much.”

“I’m so happy for you, man,” Bobby responded sincerely as he took a gulp of his steaming-hot coffee. “What about you, Hanbin, and Junhoe? What’s going on with that?”

“Junhoe and I actually met for lunch yesterday,” Yunhyeong admitted as he criss-crossed his legs in the chair. “He was trying to get me to make the move to talk to Donghyuk and thank God he did. Hanbin and I have texted a little bit, but nothing major. I think he’s a little bitter about everything going on.”

Bobby tried to ignore his gut twisting at the mention of Hanbin being upset with him in favor of celebrating for his friend, “Well that’s fucking awesome. Junhoe really is the glue of this entire friend group.”

“Yeah, I don’t know where any of us would be without him or Jinhwan.” Yunhyeong chuckled in agreement before turning his attention to the eldest of the group. “Speaking of, what’s going on with you, Jinhwan? Anything new?”

Jinhwan shrugged. “Nothing really, especially in relation to you two having movie-worthy drama going on. I’ve just been taking care of you two and getting through school.”

Bobby leaned into the smallest of the group lovingly as he said, “And we appreciate you so much, Jinani. You know we do. Thank you.”

Jinhwan smiled as he hugged Bobby, “I know you guys do. I do it because despite myself, I love you both so damn much.”

The other two agreed with the statement as a knock came on the door. Both Jinhwan and Bobby gave Yunhyeong a mischievous, knowing look. Yunhyeong rolled his eyes playfully at the act and shushed the two as he opened the door to reveal a nervous Donghyuk.

“Hello everyone,” Donghyuk spoke quietly as he made his way into the apartment. Both Bobby and Jinhwan greeted the younger as Yunhyeong shut the front door and led Donghyuk to the guest room to talk.

“Dammit, now we have to miss it,” Bobby pouted playfully.

Jinhwan gave the younger a mischievous look as he put his finger over his lips to shush Bobby. They both became completely silent, which allowed them to hear bits and pieces of the conversation happening just a room over.

Most of what Bobby heard were cut-off pieces of conversations. He took the lack of raised voices and yelling as a sign that it was going well in-between the few words he could pick out. Most of them included phrases of apologies and promises to be better and Bobby couldn’t help but smile. Even if he couldn’t quite find happiness with Hanbin, Bobby was elated that two of his friends were finding a way to work out such a complicated situation.

Jinhwan and Bobby sat on the couch with their legs intertwined for a good ten or fifteen minutes, intently listening in to anything they could pick up behind the wall before the two came back into the living room. Both Donghyuk and Yunhyeong came out with smiles on their faces and their hands interlaced.

“So,” Jinhwan began with a hopeful expression covering his features. “How’d it go?”

“We’re back together,” Yunhyeong celebrated as he pulled Donghyuk close to him and planted a gentle kiss against his boyfriend’s temple. Donghyuk happily leaned into the elder as his eyes crinkled at the action.

“Thank _God_ ,” Bobby praised. 

“Now we just need to work on you and Hanbin,” Donghyuk commented nonchalantly, a newfound confidence lighting up his aura. “What are you going to do about my best friend?”

Bobby was completely taken aback. He swore that Donghyuk would hate him at this point, especially for what he did to Hanbin. Bobby gave the younger a confused glance before replying, “Wait, you want Hanbin and I to work out?”

“Of course I do,” Donghyuk stated as he took a seat on the coffee table in front of Bobby. Everybody but Donghyuk had a look of confusion on their features as the blonde continued, “You’ve made him happier than I’ve ever seen him in his entire life. Trust me, I’ve been there for most of it.”

“Y-you’re not upset with me?”

“Of course I’m upset with you,” Donghyuk responded as Yunhyeong took a seat next to his boyfriend, a protective hand landing on his thigh. “You hurt him and you need to fix it, there’s no two ways about that. But I’m tired of all of us not hanging out and I’m tired of Hanbin moping around all the time. The six of us only knew each other for a few weeks and still made this amazing bond and I want it back. I want it back for all of us, but I especially want it back for you and Hanbin. You both need to talk this out.”

“I’ve tried talking to him but he doesn’t let me say anything,” Bobby huffed as he crossed his arms. 

“I know he can be a stubborn bastard, which is why we need to find a way to get all of us together so you can pull him aside,” Donghyuk contemplated. “What do you think?”

“Well, all of you assholes hang out at my apartment anyway, so let’s just have a get-together here,” Jinhwan suggested playfully. “If all six of us are involved, maybe we can use that as an excuse to get Hanbin here. Then, Bobby can pull him aside.”

“Perfect. When do you want to do it?” Donghyuk questioned as he gazed up at a standing Jinhwan.

“How about this weekend? I have a paper due on Friday, but we can do it on Saturday,” Jinhwan stated nonchalantly. 

“Alright, mission get Hanbin and Bobby to talk is officially a go,” Donghyuk affirmed as he stood up and grabbed Yunhyeong’s hand.

As the two boyfriends were about to exit the apartment and do what Bobby assumed was fucking, Bobby spoke, “Hey, Donghyuk. I really appreciate this. I really want to make this right.”

“I know you do,” Donghyuk smiled sweetly at him. “That’s why I’m helping you.”

With that, the two left. As the door closed, Jinhwan announced, “Sometimes things really can work out.”

“We’ll see after I talk to Hanbin,” Bobby answered as he rested his head against the arm of the couch.

“That we will,” Jinhwan confirmed as he walked to his bedroom at the end of the hallway, muttering something about having to work on that damn essay, which left Bobby alone in the living room.

The brunette couldn’t believe the turn of events that had happened in just the span of an hour. Donghyuk and Yunhyeong had gotten back together, Donghyuk didn’t punch Bobby in the face for hurting his best friend, and now Bobby had a real chance to talk to Hanbin with four mediators around in case something went terribly wrong. 

In the first time in a full week, Bobby felt hopeful for what was to come. Sure, there was still a possibility that the whole situation could burst into flames and tear the group down into them, but there was also hope that this could turn into something beautiful. The weeks of wanting Hanbin in his arms and on his lips could turn to reality if Bobby could just find the right array of words to make Hanbin forgive him.

Yes, Bobby had fucked up. He’d let his fear of Jisoo and his own parents allow him to hurt somebody that now meant the world to him. But he was going to fix it. Even if it took every word that was jumbled in his brain and every muscle in his toned body, he was going to get Hanbin back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for being a bit spacey with updates. College and work are keeping me busy, so I hope you all forgive me, especially now that some happiness has fallen onto the group! As always, thank you for reading and comments are always very much appreciated <3\. Enjoy!


	11. Ice

Hanbin carefully planned out his outfit for the hangout at Jinhwan’s that Saturday. He didn’t want to overdo it and make it seem like he was trying to impress Bobby (which he one hundred percent was, but nobody was going to know that), but he also didn’t want to look like he had been moping over the boy for a week now (which he one hundred percent did, but nobody was going to know that). After ruffling through the entirety of both his closet and dresser drawers twice, he decided on tight jeans and a choice between three hoodies.

Donghyuk smirked from across the room at Hanbin’s worrying antics as he rested his head on Yunhyeong’s lap. The elder played with Donghyuk’s locks as he scrolled through his Twitter feed and Junhoe leaned on Hanbin’s bed, his legs dangling off the edge of the twin-sized mattress. The youngest of the group turned his head to Hanbin’s futsing before complaining, “Bin, we were supposed to be at Jinhwan’s fifteen minutes ago, let’s get going.”

Hanbin huffed as he put on the final hoodie of the three and grabbed his keys from off of his desk, “Okay, let’s go.”

The other three nodded and exited the room, Donghyuk making sure to lock the door behind them. As they walked down the chipped steps and Yunhyeong held the door open for the younger three, Hanbin worried, “Guys, I really don’t think this is such a great idea.”

“And why is that?” Yunhyeong asked thoughtfully as he placed one arm around Donghyuk and the other one around Hanbin, making sure to pull the two tightly in for comfort.

Hanbin smiled slightly at the gesture before shaking off Yunhyeong’s arm and replying, “I know you and Dong just made up, which I couldn’t be happier about, but everybody knows Bobby and I are still awkward. I know he won’t fuck with me because I’m going to give him the evil eye all night, but I don’t want to ruin it for everybody else.”

Junhoe sighed as he began matching his steps with Hanbin, patting the elder’s shoulder encouragingly before talking, “Look, nothing is ever going to be resolved with you constantly giving Bobby the cold shoulder and him giving you those big puppy dog eyes that seem to have no effect on you, but I know they do.”

Hanbin looked sheepishly away and crossed his arms across his chest, angry that Junhoe could see right through his own cold front. Donghyuk continued Junhoe’s thought, “It’s been over a week since you let him speak more than four sentences to you. Maybe it’s time to hear him out?”

“Are you on _his_ side?” Hanbin snapped angrily, causing Junhoe and Yunhyeong to jump slightly while Donghyuk kept the same stagnant expression. 

“You know damn well that isn’t the case,” Donghyuk bit back, attempting to pull Hanbin out of his rage as the group turned around the block that led to Jinhwan’s apartment. “I just think that he might have something meaningful to say. You’ll never know if you don’t give him the time to explain.”

Yunhyeong then chimed in as he interlocked his fingers with Donghyuk’s, “If you guys can’t at least be civil with each other, this whole group will be over. As much as I love you three, I really care about Jinhwan and Bobby too. And I think we make a really awesome six, and seven once Chanwoo comes to visit.” 

Hanbin sighed as he let the words sink into his skin. They _were_ right, but it didn’t stop the brunette from having a fire burn inside of his gut at the mention of the boy with sharp edges and even sharper words. Hanbin thought the sentiment of a fire being inside of him was quite ironic, quite like Bobby’s own emotions bubbling inside of Hanbin. It burned, no, scalded his stomach.

“I know you guys are right,” Hanbin muttered as Junhoe knocked on Jinhwan’s door. “I’m sorry for being so cranky. Shit is just hard right now.”

“We know,” Junhoe commented with a smile crunching his eyes into slits as he patted Hanbin on the head lovingly. Before the love-fest could continue, Jinhwan opened the door and invited the other four into his home.

Hanbin’s eyes immediately locked onto Bobby on the couch. His usual soft curls were straightened and gelled back into a quiff. The younger was practically drooling at the sight. Bobby looked good; he looked smoking fucking hot. Hanbin wanted to jump his bones right then and there, but thought better of it.

The other four were lost in chatter, catching up on their week before even taking a seat in the living room as Bobby peered up at Hanbin. Junhoe was right; Bobby’s soft, brown eyes were as sad as a begging puppy and Hanbin felt his heart soften for the boy. 

When Bobby got up from his seat on the couch and fixed the flannel hugging his torso to his liking, Hanbin froze still, unsure of what to expect from the elder. He didn’t have to wonder for long before Bobby came up to him and gulped, “Hey, Hanbin.”

“Hello Bobby,” Hanbin shot back icily, but it was still a warmer welcome than he had given the elder after their presentation just a few days previous. Bobby was thankful for that.

The elder scratched his neck nervously, bouncing his eyes around the room as he spoke, “Do you mind if we, uh, go talk for a second?”

Hanbin took a deep breath and nodded, “Sure, okay.”

Bobby’s features immediately brightened at the younger’s response as he motioned for Hanbin to follow him. The younger didn’t miss the way the other four peered curiously at the duo as they went into Jinhwan’s guest room and closed the door behind them, not wanting the others to intrude on their conversation.

The room looked different than when Hanbin saw it last. Jinhwan’s nice dress clothes were replaced with a few belongings of Bobby’s as he could tell from the open closet door. The room even smelled like Bobby, making it evident that the elder had been staying there for a few nights. Hanbin felt comfort from the familiar scent of the brunette’s cologne surrounding the bedroom.

The pair sat in silence for a few moments, feeling out the space and the vibe of the room. Hanbin could tell Bobby was unsure of how to begin a sentence from the way he bit his lip and played with his fingers in his lap. Hanbin was quite nervous himself, but he knew that the conversation ahead would still be better than the tensed silence between them, “So, what did you want to talk about?”

“I,” Bobby began before heaving a sigh, unsure of where to start or where to finish or what to say in-between. “I’m sorry, Hanbin. I know I’ve said it a hundred times and I know that even if I said it a thousand times more, it wouldn’t be enough. But, I would appreciate if you would at least let me explain what was going on. I know it won’t fix it, but maybe it will make it a little better.”

Hanbin gulped in nervousness, but attempted to maintain his cold, hard front to not appear weak to Bobby. He nodded, “go on.”

Bobby placed his hand gently onto Hanbin’s, quickly peaking up at the younger’s expression to gauge how he felt about the action. In all honesty, Hanbin debated pulling his hand from under Bobby’s, but the warmth felt too comforting and familiar to pull away. He had missed the elder’s hot touch so much; he had missed the feeling of safety and serenity he felt when Bobby’s fingers grazed against his own.

“Well I’ll start off by saying that Jisoo and I have broken up. I called her the morning after the party, but she didn’t respond until a few days ago. But, it’s one hundred percent over for good,” Bobby began and Hanbin’s eyes widened in shock, surprised that Bobby took such a big step right away. The elder continued, “We had been together for years because of our parents. We were friends when we were kids and grew up together and our parents always joked about us getting married. Their constant nagging about Jisoo and I getting together made us believe that we had a real romantic connection, so we got together. I won’t lie; it was good at first. We had fun, but we had a hard time turning it intimate. It always felt more like really good friends who made out sometimes, nothing that could last forever.”

Hanbin listened in silence, letting every word that fell off of Bobby’s lips sink into his system. The younger wanted to take everything the elder said into consideration, hoping that his emotions wouldn’t crack his exterior in the process. Hanbin admired the way Bobby attempted to make eye contact with him as much as possible, but the nervousness that shook his hands made it hard for him to do so, but Hanbin thought it was endearing nonetheless. 

Bobby began rubbing his thumb softly against Hanbin’s hand as he continued, “I realized shortly after I began dating Jisoo that I was bisexual. It became apparent that I was really attracted to men, so Jisoo and I talked about it and began an open relationship, which worked really well for us for a little bit. Unfortunately, my parents found out and threw a shit fit. They yelled at me, said they needed grandchildren and a happy life for me, and that was going to happen with Jisoo, not a man. Their words got to me, so Jisoo and I stayed together. Her parents gave her a similar lecture when they realized she was sleeping around. It was a mess.”

“So, you two were basically just forced together?” Hanbin questioned, attempting to be as involved in the story as possible. 

“Exactly,” Bobby confirmed. “Soon enough, Jisoo and I’s friendship began falling apart. The pressure from our parents became too much and we started taking it out on each other. We fought a lot, to the point where I thought we’d never speak to each other again, but thankfully that wasn’t the case. We ended as friends, especially since we need to work together to tell our parents to fuck off and stop messing with our love lives. It’ll be difficult, but I’m okay. I know things are way better this way.”

“I’m glad you two worked it out,” Hanbin said coldly, pulling his hand gently away from Bobby’s and placing them in his lap. “So, where do I fit into this? Why didn’t you tell me about her?”

“It’s because I was selfish,” Bobby frowned as he placed his own hands into his lap. “I wanted you so badly, but I also wanted to keep Jisoo, her parents, and my own parents at bay. I thought that I would be able to balance it all, but once I started developing real feelings for you it all went to shit. I ignored calls and messages from Jisoo and my parents hoping that the situation would just disappear, but obviously that didn’t work out too well. The idea of confronting you about my feelings was scary, but the idea of confronting my messy life back home was terrifying.”

“I guess it makes a little more sense now. Thank you for sharing that with me,” Hanbin said as he folded his legs criss-crossed. “Facing fears is hard, but you never should’ve been scared to tell me how you feel about me. Couldn’t you tell I was so fucking into you?”

“I mean, I didn’t really know until the party,” Bobby admitted honestly as he slicked back loose pieces of his hair. “I knew we were friends because you softened up around me pretty quickly, but I didn’t know you had feelings for me.”

Hanbin let a small smile creep onto his lips before responding, “I don’t think you understand how hard it is for me to soften up. I have to appear strong or everything will fall down. If I’m not strong, I can’t succeed in school or life or take care of Donghyuk, Junhoe, and Yunhyeong. I just felt...so comfortable around you that it didn’t feel like I had to put that front up. It felt like I could be safe with you.”

Hanbin felt sheepish for over-sharing, but the look on Bobby’s face told the younger that his words were exactly what he wanted to hear. Bobby smiled as he rested his head upon his hand, looking directly into Hanbin’s eyes as he replied, “And I feel so special that somebody as wonderful as you thought you could put away your coldness when you were with me. I’m a fucking fool for making you build it back up. Now you’re as hard as ice.”

“Something about you warms me up, Bobby. I don’t know what it is, but it takes everything in me to be upset with you. Even when I wanted to scream at you after our presentation on Monday, I still felt this urge to comfort you. I hated seeing you tear up so much that I considered just pulling you into my arms. I don’t know what the fuck it is Kim Bobby, but something about you melts the hardest parts of me away,” Hanbin said lovingly, his eyes turning soft as he peered into Bobby’s.

“You’re so special, Hanbin,” Bobby began, his words quiet and shy. “You do the same for me. Usually I sleep around and just do as I please without thinking about the consequences when I’m on campus, but now I’d much rather spend time with you than anything else. You calm me down and make me feel a lot less restless. I feel so fucking stupid for letting anything ruin that. I’m so sorry, Hanbin. I know I fucked up. I should’ve broken up with Jisoo the moment I laid eyes on you.”

Bobby started going into hysterics, letting tears spill from his eyes and Hanbin’s heart immediately clenched. The younger reached for Bobby’s face, brushing the tears away with his thumbs as he held his harsh cheekbones in his hands. Bobby immediately calmed at the action, letting his face fall into Hanbin’s touch. 

The moment felt so intimate and so incredibly right. All the times Hanbin wanted to reach out and cup Bobby’s face, to fall into his arms and seek the comfort that laid between them led up to this moment and Hanbin couldn’t have felt more content. Hanbin wished that they could stay in that feeling of pure care and sweetness and passion forever.

“I don’t think this can be fixed overnight,” Hanbin admitted as he wiped one last stray tear from Bobby’s cheek. “But I think we can try. I...I forgive you, Bobby.”

A smile as bright as the sun encompassed Bobby’s face at his words as he took Hanbin’s hand in his. The elder kissed it lightly again and again and again, holding it to his lips as he remarked, “Thank you, love. I promise I’ll do everything I can to make this right, Bin.”

Bobby pulled his hand away and Hanbin couldn’t help but turn a bright shade of pink at the love slipping through the elder’s lips. The younger leaned into Bobby, letting his breath spread goosebumps against the elder’s skin before kissing his cheek lightly. 

Bobby cheeks turned a shade of pink to match Hanbin’s as he took the younger’s hand in his own, interlocking their fingers before talking, “Well, we better get back. I know they’re all listening right now, but I’m sure they’re still curious about how this is all went down.

Hanbin nodded in agreement as the two got off of the bed and began heading for the door, their hands remaining interlocked as they went. At the sound of the door creaking when the pair opened it, they could hear shuffling from the other four from the other side of the wall as they all swiftly made their way to a seat in the living room.

Both Bobby and Hanbin chuckled as they walked out and the four stared at them intently, awaiting a verdict. Jinhwan was the first one to break the silence as he began loading up a bowl, “So? How’d it go?”

Hanbin took a seat in his usual spot on the floor in front of the TV, facing the coffee table and the other boys as Bobby plopped down right beside him. Hanbin answered as Jinhwan took the first hit, “Well, we’re going to see how it goes. But I forgave him.” 

The other four let out a round of cheers, clearly trying to playfully embarrass the two as the bong was passed to Junhoe. Donghyuk patted Hanbin’s head lovingly from the loveseat, “I’m so happy for you two. I knew it would work out.”

Hanbin caught Bobby staring at him as the elder confessed, “I’m so happy too. So fucking happy.”

The four let out a round of aws as the pink of Hanbin’s cheeks turned a darker shade of red. Bobby smiled at his embarrassment and placed his hand onto the younger’s thigh for comfort. The elder kept it there for most of the night, switching between keeping it still and rubbing it softly back and forth against Hanbin’s jeans. Even through storytelling and boisterous laughs that were only enhanced by the high, Bobby remained affectionate. It felt incredibly right and incredibly loving to Hanbin.

Near the end of the night, the chaos of conversation turned into yawns escaping the mouths of the group. Once two a.m. rolled around, Donghyuk ended up falling asleep against Yunhyeong’s shoulder as the rest of them continued whispering about anything and everything. In a hint of bravery, Hanbin looped his arm with Bobby’s and leaned against his shoulder.

Hanbin heard the elder sigh and felt his cheeks tighten into a smile at the action and Hanbin couldn’t help but feel utterly at peace. The younger felt more at home with his arm laced with Bobby’s and his head rested upon the muscle of his shoulder than he had since he moved on campus. Even though the position was uncomfortable and Bobby’s shoulder was more boney than soft, Hanbin wouldn’t change the position for the world. 

So what if Bobby and him were opposites? So what if this could all end in disaster? In that moment, where all Hanbin could feel was warmth, love, and safety, he had no desire to take the safe route and steer clear of Bobby. He wanted him all, from his head of curls to the unbearable heat of his soul. Hanbin wanted Bobby to melt away the hardest parts of his icy exterior, and Hanbin wanted to cool down the parts of Bobby that burned the elder. And as Hanbin’s eyes drooped closed and he clung tightly to Bobby’s arm, he thought that maybe, just maybe, fire and ice could work after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I was going to wait one more chapter for Bobby and Hanbin to make up but I got carried away and now they're at least on a better page. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I certainly am excited to start writing fluffy double b instead of angsty double b. Thank you all so much for reading, and please, please comment <3!


	12. Fire

Since Bobby spent most of the week after the party moping around Jinhwan’s apartment, the week after was filled with catching up on assignments, studying, and sucking up to his professors. Thankfully for him, he charmed his way out of getting into trouble by blaming his absences on a terrible case of the flu. 

Although he spent most of the week cooped up in his room, Bobby still found time to see the group and more specifically, Hanbin, in-between his busy schedule. The six of them found themselves at Jinhwan’s once throughout the week, and another night Hanbin and Bobby snuck off to their spot to smoke. Even though Bobby worked his ass off, the payoff of having Hanbin by his side and the group back together made it all worth it.

That Thursday night, Jinhwan called for a celebration of the group being back and better than ever at the apartment. He went the full nine yards - two bottles of Smirnoff and a bottle of Bobby’s signature Fireball along with a copious amount of weed. All of them were quite thankful for how little the RA cared about the happenings in the campus apartments.

All five of them walked to Jinhwan’s together once the sun set, laughing and messing around even on the short trek there. People gave them some odd stares for being too loud, but the group paid no mind. That kind of pure happiness hadn’t been around for weeks and all five of them wanted to live it up to the fullest while it lasted.

Once they arrived, Bobby opened the door without knocking to find Jinhwan already smoking a bowl to himself. He smiled at the group and invited them all to join him. The group took their usual spots around the living room, laying across the various furniture as if they were in their own home.

“Do you guys want to start drinking now or wait a bit?” Jinhwan asked as he blew out a puff of smoke and handed the bong to Junhoe.

“I’m always down for being cross-faded, so let’s start now,” Bobby winked as he placed his hand firmly onto Hanbin’s thigh. The younger smiled sheepishly up at him as he put his hand lovingly over the elder’s.

“I’ll get them ready,” Donghyuk offered as he got up from his spot next to Yunhyeong in the loveseat. 

The blonde made his way to the kitchen and brought out the shot glasses from the cabinet before Jinhwan had a chance to respond, “You’ve always been my favorite, Dong. Thank you!”

“Hey!” Yunhyeong and Bobby chided playfully at the same time. Yunhyeong continued, “You’ve known Bobby and I a full year longer. What does that make us?”

Junhoe chuckled as he passed the bong to Bobby. “He’s known you two the longest, but Donghyuk is objectively the best member of this group. He’s the sweetest.”

“Are you hitting on my boyfriend?” Yunhyeong pried playfully as Donghyuk came back into the living room and set the six shot glasses onto the coffee table. The elder brought his boyfriend back down forcefully and gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek for emphasis. Donghyuk blushed as his face beamed with a smile.

“Only in your dreams would I join you two in bed,” Junhoe said as he raised his eyebrows. The group erupted into laughter as they each grabbed a shot glass of their own. Bobby grabbed Hanbin’s for him and the younger smiled thankfully at the elder for the thoughtful action.

“So, what are we cheering to?” Hanbin questioned as the group fell into a silence, trying to decide how to start the celebratory night.

Donghyuk was the first to break the silence, “Cheers to new beginnings.”

The other five were quick to clink their glasses against one another’s as they mirrored Donghyuk’s words and then let the shot burn their throats. Bobby grabbed all of the glasses from the coffee table once the group had finished and brought them over to the kitchen after saying, “I’ll fill these back up.”

Hanbin followed after him, which left them alone together in the kitchen. As Bobby poured Fireball into each of the shot glasses, he felt the younger wrap his arms around him from behind. The elder couldn’t help but smile at the loving action before accusing, “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be helping me with this?”

“I’m helping you by giving you my endless affection,” Hanbin replied, his words muffled by his lips being against the elder’s broad back.

Bobby chuckled as he filled the last glass and turned around, allowing Hanbin to squeeze his torso as he wrapped his own arms around Hanbin’s shoulders. It felt so comforting and right to have Hanbin against his chest, his soft breaths calming him.

The elder kissed the top of Hanbin’s head as he rubbed his back soothingly before admiring, “I’m so happy to be here with you, Hanbin. I missed you so much.”

Hanbin looked up at Bobby with a loving smile, “I missed you so much too. I couldn’t be happier.”

Before the two could get even more lost in one another, Junhoe called from the living room, “Hey, lovebirds! Wait until _after_ we’re all drunk to act like you’re in a teenage romcom.”

Both of them laughed as Hanbin pulled away and yelled back, “Yunhyeong and Donghyuk always act like this and you never yell at them!”

As Bobby and Hanbin grabbed the shot glasses and started making their way into the living room with the other boys, Junhoe finally responded, “Yeah, well Yunhyeong and Donghyuk don’t make me want to throw up.”

“That might actually be the nicest thing you’ve ever said about me,” Yunhyeong chimed in and the other boys couldn’t help but laugh as Hanbin and Bobby set the shot glasses in front of them.

“Well, I happen to think both of the couples are quite cute,” Jinhwan acknowledged after the laughter calmed down. He picked up his shot glass and the rest followed suit before he continued, “To the new happy couples!”

The others cheered alongside him (even a reluctant Junhoe) and poured another shot down their throats, all of their faces contorted into disgust at the harsh, cinnamon taste. The next hour and a half went similarly. The six of them shared jokes, stories, and a lot more alcohol and weed with laughter filling most of the spaces in-between. The group felt better and happier than ever before and Bobby couldn’t imagine college any other way.

As the night continued on, Hanbin had only become more touchy and Bobby was quick to follow suit. Bobby’s once innocent hand on the younger’s thigh changed as the time ticked by. His rough fingertips began dragging against the harshness of Hanbin’s jeans, rubbing all the way down to his knee and all the way up to near the younger’s crotch. Just when Bobby would reach Hanbin’s outline, he teasingly trailed his fingers back south.

Bobby continued to do this for a few minutes, trying his best to stay engaged in the conversations buzzing around the pair, but it was hard to concentrate when Hanbin would let the most delicious little moans slip between his lips. The elder knew the brunette was growing impatient, but he couldn’t help but be incredibly turned on by it.

Hanbin eventually gave up on Bobby making the first move, so he initiated it himself. As the elder continued rubbing his fingers against Hanbin, the younger leaned into him and kissed his cheek softly. Hanbin’s lips fluttering against the elder made him gasp and turned his cheeks pink. Part of the sensitivity was due to being cross-faded, but most of it was due to how delicious Hanbin felt against him.

The younger continued to take the initiative by linking his arm around Bobby’s and letting his hand grip onto Bobby’s thigh and mirror the movements the elder had tortured him with. Bobby knew that this was a dangerous game they were playing, but neither of them had any intentions of stopping, even with an audience right in front of them.

Instead of teasing, Hanbin let his hand completely fall onto Bobby’s hard-on as he trailed his fingers up and down his thighs. Each time the younger’s soft hands hit that sensitive spot, Bobby’s breath hitched and his eyes glazed over. The slight pleasure felt so hot, Bobby couldn’t even bare to imagine how incredible it would feel if it were skin to skin.

Bobby then scanned the room to see if the others were paying attention. Donghyuk and Yunhyeong were cuddled so close into each other that Bobby doubted that they even knew there was a world outside of each other’s eyes. Junhoe and Jinhwan were lost in a conversation of their own filled with intoxicated giggles. It seemed as if Junhoe found a thread of videos on his phone and the two were scrolling through.

The blonde took this as an opportunity to take it a step further with Hanbin. He grasped the younger’s hand tightly just as it landed on his crotch and Hanbin bit his lip at the action. Bobby thought he’d melt right there at the delicious gaze falling onto the younger’s features as he leaned into Hanbin, letting his breath ghost against the younger’s ear, before whispering, “What are you doing there, you naughty boy?”

Hanbin moaned softly, just loud enough for Bobby to hear in such close proximity. The elder growled at the sound as he nibbled gently against the younger’s ear. Hanbin leaned his head back and closed his eyes, already too enthralled with the pleasure, the alcohol, and the weed to properly respond. 

“How about we go into the guest room, baby? Do you wanna finish up in there?” Bobby asked bravely as he began rubbing his thumb against the younger’s hand. 

The brunette nodded a yes furiously as he immediately jumped from his seat on the floor and grabbed Bobby’s hand to pull him up. The elder smirked and bit his lips at Hanbin’s rushed and hurried actions as he was dragged into the room right next to the living room..

Before Bobby could utter a word, Hanbin had locked the door roughly behind them and pushed the elder against the wall. A hard thud could be heard when Bobby hit the surface, but he was too turned on to pay mind to the slight sting. Hanbin didn’t waste time putting his lips against Bobby’s, feeling hot and delicious.

Their first kiss wasn’t exactly the sweet, sensual kiss that Bobby had envisioned, but he was certainly not complaining as Hanbin’s lips melded with his own. Usually Bobby was the one to take charge in these situations. _He_ was the one pushing people against doors and shoving his tongue down their throat, but Bobby’s body was frozen still with Hanbin’s icy hands trailing around his neck and his lips desperately clinging to the elder’s.

With each move of their lips, Bobby could feel his erection growing painfully against his jeans and he knew Hanbin could feel it against his thigh, especially since the elder could feel Hanbin’s brushing against him as well. As the younger began lightly grinding against the elder, Bobby pushed his tongue against Hanbin’s lips, begging the younger for access.

Hanbin immediately granted it with the widening of his mouth and a delicious groan escaping from it. Bobby thought he could die happy right there, knowing that such a beautiful sound came from between Hanbin’s lips because of his own doing. Bobby was so incredibly turned on, his body electrified as he grabbed Hanbin’s cheeks forcefully and brought them even closer together. Hanbin followed suit by brushing his erection against Bobby’s, quickly beginning to find a rhythm as the friction brought them both to insanity.

They continued kissing as they each moved against each other, letting little moans and grunts escape their lips in-between the sloppy kisses. After a few minutes, Hanbin’s whines only increased, so he removed his lips from Bobby’s and began trailing them south. First he kissed against Bobby’s chin, then his cheek, and then trailed to nibble against his ear. Bobby leaned into the touches, closing his eyes to fully enjoy the feeling of Hanbin’s hot mouth encompassing all of Bobby’s thoughts.

Once Hanbin moved further down, making sure to leave a few purple marks on his way against the elder’s neck, he switched to using his tongue until he reached where the buttons of Bobby’s flannel started. Hanbin trailed his tongue back north, licking against the hickeys he made previously as he fiercely popped open the buttons of Bobby’s flannel hastily, not caring if he damaged the shirt on the way down. 

As Hanbin pulled off the shirt with Bobby’s help, the younger complimented, “God damn, you are so fucking hot, Bobby.”

Bobby moaned and leaned his chest into Hanbin to encourage him to continue. The younger got the hint immediately and began trailing his tongue down Bobby’s chest, stopping at his nipples to flick against them, as Bobby breathed out heavily, “And you are so fucking beautiful, Hanbin.”

The younger smiled at the compliment but didn’t stop his tongue from moving further south, kissing against each of Bobby’s defined abs as Hanbin reached for the button of Bobby’s jeans and began pulling them down. Bobby immediately helped him, sweaty and desperate and oh so needy for Hanbin to move his tongue just a _little _further south.__

__Of course, Hanbin wouldn’t give Bobby what he wanted without a little teasing. Instead of ripping off the elder’s boxers immediately and going straight for the pleasure, Hanbin waited it out a bit. The brunette trailed his tongue against the elastic of Bobby’s boxers, teasingly pulling the fabric down and pulling them back up to drive his lover mad - and it did just that._ _

__“Bin, please,” Bobby moaned breathlessly and he brushed his hands through Hanbin’s hair lovingly. “I’m so hard for you. Please.”_ _

__Hanbin smirked and looked up at Bobby with those big, brown eyes and the elder thought he could burst right then and there with someone as beautiful and loving as Hanbin staring up at him. The younger finally gave in then and pulled Bobby’s boxers down, the elder’s cock slapping against his toned abs. Hanbin’s eyes widened at the sight of it, so big and red and leaking just for him._ _

__“Do you like what you see, baby?” Bobby questioned seductively as he pushed the hair off of his sweaty forehead._ _

__Hanbin nodded eagerly, “Yes, you’re so fucking big. I want it stuffed down my throat.”_ _

__Bobby’s eyes rolled back at Hanbin’s unbelievably sexy words and the elder caressed the brunette’s cheek lovingly, “I bet you’d look so pretty with my cock stretching your mouth, baby. How about we try it?”_ _

__Hanbin licked his lips and looked up at Bobby as he lowered his head onto the elder’s cock, at first only sucking at the head before trailing his lips further down. Bobby swore he’d cum the moment Hanbin’s lips grazed against his erection, all sloppy and hot against him._ _

__The younger focused on Bobby’s head first, sucking and licking at every drop of pre-cum his greedy mouth could suck up, enjoying the taste that spread all the way to his own cock. Bobby groaned with each movement, his eyebrows folding together as he stared down at his lover giving him the best damn head of his life._ _

__As Hanbin started to suck more into his mouth, Bobby thought he might lose it. All he wanted to do was fuck himself down Hanbin’s throat until he was crying and drool was spilling down his lips, but he knew he had to be gentle at least for their first time. The elder cared for him way too much to even think about hurting him again._ _

__Bobby growled loudly as Hanbin moved further down, his lips almost reaching the elder’s pubic hair and he instinctively laced his fingers into the younger’s hair. Bobby bit his lip so harshly he thought blood would seep out as Hanbin continued sucking against his cock so hard that the elder was getting dizzy._ _

__In the next moment, Hanbin reached all the way down Bobby’s cock. The elder’s entire length was in-between Hanbin’s hot, wet lips and Bobby pounded his head back against the wall, unable to control the pleasure that coursed through every part of him. He was only more turned on by Hanbin’s gags from forcing his dick down his throat._ _

__“You’re such a good boy, Binnie, so, so good,” Bobby praised as Hanbin pushed away from his cock to get some air. When he released, spit drooled from his lips and tears pricked at his eyes and Bobby swore he’d never seen him look so damn good._ _

__“I want to make you feel good,” Hanbin asserted as he brought his lips back to Bobby’s length, bobbing his head up and down with powerful sucks._ _

__Bobby knew he wouldn’t last long at this rate. His cock was aching for release, throbbing with desire to shoot his load down Hanbin’s needy throat. The elder spoke with a gasp, “You do make me feel so good. You look so fucking hot with your pretty little mouth on my cock.”_ _

__Hanbin whined at the filthy words and Bobby couldn’t help but grab roughly onto the younger’s hair, shallowly thrusting into Hanbin’s mouth, so desperate for release. He wanted to slam it down the younger’s throat, but knew it was best to keep himself under control._ _

__That was until Hanbin pulled his lips off of Bobby and grabbed his dick with his hands, slapping it gently against his cheeks as he looked up seductively, “Use my mouth, Bobby. Fuck my throat. Please, I need it, I need your cum.”_ _

__Bobby didn’t hesitate for even a millisecond before threading his fingers deeply into Hanbin’s hair and pushing him onto his cock. That’s when he went erratic, too overcome with pleasure and the younger’s unwavering trust to hold back for a moment longer. Bobby pounded into the younger’s throat, using his hands to force Hanbin’s mouth up and down onto his cock._ _

__“Baby, I’m so close,” Bobby groaned as he continued to fuck himself into Hanbin’s mouth, careful to be aware of how much the younger was choking so he wouldn’t hurt him. “I’m going to cum on that beautiful face of yours.”_ _

__Hanbin moaned his permission as Bobby burst, pulling himself out of Hanbin’s mouth and replacing it with his own hand. The elder pumped himself to an overwhelming orgasm, his hips moving on their own accord as his load burst onto Hanbin’s awaiting face, his mouth open and eyes closed in preparation._ _

__Bobby whined a delicious moan as spurt after spurt of cum landed on the younger’s face. Hanbin immediately licked up every drop, using his tongue to clean the areas around his mouth off and swallowing it hungrily. The sight alone could make Bobby cum again if a drop was left in him after that._ _

__Once Bobby was finished, Hanbin opened his eyes and wiped the remaining cum off of his face with his fingers, then putting the digits into his mouth to suck off the remainder of Bobby’s release. The elder moaned again as he grabbed Hanbin softly by the neck and brought him to his feet._ _

__Bobby kissed him again, this time with more love and passion and less hunger than before. Hanbin tasted like him and the elder would be lying if he said it didn’t turn him on. After a few soft kisses, Bobby whispered against Hanbin’s lips, “Holy fuck, Bin. You were amazing.”_ _

__“Thank you,” Hanbin smiled as he kissed Bobby once more. “Now, get me off. Please Bobby; I’m so fucking hard for you.”_ _

__“Anything for you, Bin,” Bobby replied breathlessly as he brought his lips to Hanbin’s neck and began kissing. His lips were much sloppier than Hanbin’s, but it made the younger’s body turn even hotter._ _

__The elder wasted no time in ridding Hanbin of his clothes, unlatching his lips from Hanbin’s sweaty skin for long enough to hastily pull off the younger’s sweatshirt to reveal lean abs underneath. Bobby licked his lips seductively as he dove back onto Hanbin’s neck, making sure to suck purple love bites into it so that the world knew that he belonged to Bobby._ _

__Bobby spent some time on each section of the younger’s body. First his ears, which elicited filthy whines from the younger, then his collarbones, and then his nipples. He stopped there for a while to flick his tongue against one as his fingers played with the other. Hanbin gently laced his fingers into Bobby’s hair as he did, moaning and smiling with pleasure with each gentle touch._ _

__After a few moments, Bobby moved further down. He kissed against Hanbin’s chest and abs sloppily, leaving a trail of spit down Hanbin’s body and it turned both of them on to no end. As Bobby moved his way back up to the younger’s nipples, he unzipped Hanbin’s pants and pulled them down harshly with his boxers, leaving the brunette naked and so damn hot._ _

__Bobby growled at the sight and moved his lips back to Hanbin’s, allowing himself to get lost in a passionate kiss as he pulled Hanbin to the bed. Bobby gently laid the younger against the bed, kissing him one last time on the forehead before trailing his way back down._ _

__Just as the elder was about to reach Hanbin’s pulsing, red cock, he looked up at the younger to see an expression full of lust and desperation. Bobby smirked at how hot Hanbin was for him before diving right in, ignoring teasing the head to deepthroat him all the way down without a warning._ _

__Hanbin choked out a pleasurable sob at the action and Bobby smirked as he began bobbing his head fiercely up and down the younger’s erection, ignoring the ache of his mouth being stretched so that his lover could feel the utmost pleasure. Hanbin kept whining throughout, making the elder absolutely crazy and half-hard from the sounds alone._ _

__It wasn’t long before Hanbin began gently thrusting up into Bobby’s mouth, unable to keep himself from rocking due to the red-hot pleasure that coursed all the way down to his pulsing cock. Bobby popped him out of his mouth for a moment to speak, making sure to continue to fist it while he did so, “Does that feel good, my pretty baby? You look so fucking hot like this. All fucked out and needy for me.”_ _

__Hanbin sobbed at the comment as he sat up to get a better view, leaning against his elbows for support as he responded breathlessly, “Your mouth feels so fucking good, Bobby. I can’t take it! You’re going to make me cum so fucking fast.”_ _

__“Yes, baby, cum,” Bobby pleaded hungrily as he licked at Hanbin’s erection. “Let me taste your load shooting down my throat.”_ _

__With another loud whine escaping Hanbin’s lips, Bobby put the younger back in his mouth. He moved much faster this time, sucking up and down forcefully with eyes intent and fierce looking up at a squirming Hanbin. It only took a few more sucks before Hanbin looked down at Bobby with a desperate expression, “Baby, I’m going to cum. Oh, fuck, just like that. Fuck. FUCK!”_ _

__As the last fuck slipped through Hanbin’s lips, his twitching cock finally came. Hot sperm shot down Bobby’s throat as he continued to suck his lover off, letting him ride out his orgasm to the fullest extent as the younger spasmed uncontrollably from his orgasm. As the last tiny drop of Hanbin’s load escaped his erection, Bobby popped the younger out of his mouth and swallowed all of it._ _

__Hanbin moaned one last time as his body continued to twitch, the final parts of his orgasm riding out in little shocks through his body. The brunette reached out for the blonde with a whine, and Bobby smiled and quickly gave in, letting his naked body fall next to Hanbin’s on the bed._ _

__The younger immediately cuddled into Bobby’s protective frame, placing his head against the elder’s shoulder before whispering, “That was fucking amazing.”_ _

__“You’ve got that right,” Bobby agreed as he pulled Hanbin closer to him and began rubbing soothing circles onto his back. “That was the best damn blowjob I’ve ever gotten.”_ _

__“Agreed,” Hanbin smiled against him as he put his lips against Bobby’s. That kiss was the most gentle of the night; it was sweet, slow, and so much different than the lustful kisses shared earlier. Those shared cuddled up on the bed felt so much like love._ _

__“Thank you for that baby, so, so much,” Bobby mumbled against Hanbin’s lips before kissing him again, getting lost in the numbing feeling of continuous lip-locking._ _

__“No, thank you,” Hanbin insisted in-between another kiss. “I’m so happy. You make me so fucking happy.”_ _

__“No, you make me happy,” Bobby giggled as he pulled Hanbin to his chest, pushing their bodies as close together as they possibly could._ _

__They fell asleep like that not much later, completely ignoring their friends just in the other room. Both Bobby and Hanbin knew that their noises of pleasure could be heard through the walls, but it didn’t matter in that moment as their orgasms settled into something that felt just like love. They stayed against one another all night, ignoring the discomfort in exchange for the happiness that buzzed between them as they laid chest to chest, thigh to thigh, naked, bare, and on display for the other. It was vulnerable, scary even, but it felt so goddamn right._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel...filthy, but I hope you all enjoy ;). As always, I am so thankful for all of your guys' continuous love and support for this story! Comments and feedback are always appreciated <3.


	13. Ice

Hanbin woke up the next morning with a certain glow about him. Although his mouth felt noticeably sorer than yesterday, he felt more alert and happy, especially when he got to see Bobby the moment his eyes opened. The elder was still sleeping, little snores escaping his slightly ajar lips as he clung to the pillow his head was rested upon. Hanbin couldn’t help but to think he looked absolutely adorable.

Although the pair’s legs were intertwined during sleep, the younger moved closer to Bobby to cuddle deeper into one another. Bobby groaned a bit as Hanbin moved closer, but still wrapped his arm around him through the drowsiness. 

As Hanbin buried his face into Bobby’s bare chest, the elder kissed the top of his head before speaking, “Good morning, handsome.”

Hanbin groaned and pushed his face further into the elder, “Stop being cheesy.”

“I can’t help it,” Bobby replied as he pulled the brunette closer, now wrapping both of his arms around him to squeeze him into an embrace.

The younger pushed away from it but smiled nonetheless, completely blissed out. That moment felt so right between the two of them. After weeks and weeks of crushing and lusting after Bobby, Hanbin finally got to be in his arms with smiles brightening both of their faces. Hanbin knew that he made the right decision to forgive Bobby, especially as the comfort of the elder’s arms encompassed him.

“Since we forced our friends to listen to us moan for an hour and a half last night, how about we make them some breakfast?” Bobby suggested as he pulled back a bit from Hanbin to read his expression.

Hanbin nodded excitingly, “Sure!”

The two then stretched and got out of bed, making sure to pick up their scattered clothes on the way. Instead of putting on his outfit from the previous day, Hanbin searched Bobby’s belongings in the closet and decided to throw on sweatpants and a hoodie that was a bit too big for him.

“Stealing my clothes already?” Bobby questioned with a smirk as he pulled on a pair of plaid pajama pants.

“I just want to be comfortable,” Hanbin argued with a serious expression that quickly turned into a little smile. 

“Well, you look cute so I don’t mind,” Bobby winked as he shuffled on a crewneck that hung from Jinhwan’s guest room closet. Hanbin felt himself blush as the elder grabbed his hand gently and led him into the living room.

It was apparent that Junhoe, Donghyuk, and Yunhyeong had spent the night once they entered the room. Junhoe was sprawled across the couch while the couple was cuddled together in the loveseat. Bobby and Hanbin couldn’t help but giggle at their snores as they tiptoed into the kitchen so they wouldn’t wake anybody up. 

Bobby went to the fridge first, taking out a carton of eggs, a pack of bacon, and a bag of hash browns while Hanbin quietly searched for the cooking supplies they would need. Once it was all gathered, the elder got right to work.

It was all too perfectly domestic for Hanbin. His pseudo-boyfriend was making breakfast for him and the rest of their friends after a night of unworldly sex. Sure, there was no actual intercourse, but that didn’t change the fact that it was the most mind-blowing sex either of them had ever had. Hanbin was hopeful that that would change once the two checked intercourse off of their to-do list. 

Once Hanbin whisked the eggs and poured them into a pan, he moved behind Bobby to put his arms around him. The younger felt Bobby’s chest move with a chuckle as he pulled his toned abdomen close, making sure to kiss the back of his neck lovingly before getting on his tiptoes to peer at what the elder was doing.

Bobby placed one of his arms around one of Hanbin’s and began stroking it gently as he continued to flip pieces of bacon. He then turned around, moving Hanbin’s arms for just a moment so he could face his lover with a beaming smile. The elder then gently grasped Hanbin’s cheeks in his hands and kissed him softly. As Bobby pulled away, he spoke, “You are just too damn cute.”

Hanbin smiled and buried his head further into the elder’s chest until he heard one of the stools by the breakfast bar screech. The two looked up to find Jinhwan sitting with messy hair and his hands on a cup of coffee as he talked, “I’m very happy that I woke up to breakfast being made and coffee already done, but I did not expect to see a romcom going down in my kitchen.”

Junhoe then made an appearance as he walked from the couch to sit in the stool next to Jinhwan, making sure to grab a cup of coffee before doing so. His hair was in a disarray, but that didn’t stop him from commenting, “I gotta agree with Jinhwan on this one. I thought the moans last night were already a little much, but now you two are almost on Yunhyeong and Donghyuk’s level of disgusting.”

“Hey, we’re awake you know!” Yunhyeong said from the loveseat, still wrapped up with Donghyuk.

Junhoe scoffed as he took a drink of coffee, “I’m very happy for you, Yun.”

Bobby chuckled as he put the mountain of hash browns on a serving platter and put it in front of Junhoe and Jinhwan, “I’m sorry about that guys.”

As Hanbin put his eggs and Bobby’s bacon on two separate plates and brought it to sit beside the hash browns, he concluded, “Well, here’s our apology. Eat up.”

“Your apology is using my food and dirtying up my dishes? That’s weak,” Jinhwan shrugged as him and Junhoe scooped huge portions of food onto their awaiting plates.Yunhyeong and Donghyuk made their way to the kitchen soon after to grab breakfast of their own. 

Bobby roughly rubbed his hands in his small friend’s hair as he made a plate for both Hanbin and himself and answered, “Don’t worry, princess. I put a $20 in the fridge for the food and I fully plan on doing dishes once we’re done.”

Donghyuk then chimed in, “Since you guys cooked, Yun and I can do dishes.”

“Hey, wait a minute,” Yunhyeong responded as he swallowed a bite of his food. “I didn’t volunteer for this.”

The blonde rolled his eyes playfully and nudged his boyfriend, “They cooked, we should clean.”

“Yes, dear,” Yunhyeong chuckled and then kissed Donghyuk on the temple lovingly, too enthralled in the boy to care about doing dishes.

Jinhwan then winked as he began to dig into breakfast, “For that, I think I just might forgive you for tainting my guest bedroom.”

All six of the boys chuckled, but both Hanbin and Bobby’s cheeks got noticeably pinker at the comment. The rest of breakfast was eaten in relative silence, too interested in stuffing their faces with food to get the taste of alcohol out of their mouths from the previous night.

As promised, Yunhyeong and Donghyuk did dishes once the six were done, singing and playing with one another as they washed and dried alongside each other. The other boys made their way to the living room, taking their usual spots as Jinhwan began packing a bowl.

“So, has anyone started studying for midterms?” Jinhwan asked as Bobby pulled Hanbin closer to him with an arm around his waist.

Junhoe groaned as Yunhyeong and Donghyuk took their usual spot in the loveseat, “I can’t believe you mentioned that horrible word when I’m about to be irresponsible and get high.”

Bobby chuckled as Jinhwan lit the bong, “Well, most of them are this week so we should probably get to studying.”

Hanbin’s heart immediately began to race as stress flooded through his system, “I’ve never taken a midterm. I don’t even know what to expect!”

“Hey, don’t worry so much, Bin,” Yunhyeong comforted as he interlocked his fingers with Donghyuk’s. “They’re really not that bad. You just need to study a bit.”

Hanbin quickly took a hit and exhaled it just as quickly before replying, “Study what though? Just everything we’ve learned?”

“Hey, babe, calm down,” Bobby said soothingly as he gripped Hanbin’s thigh in comfort. “We can help you out. Let’s study together for music theory, okay?”

Hanbin’s features immediately softened at his lover’s words as he sighed, “Thank you. That will help a lot.”

“We’ll form a study group, it’ll be just fine,” Bobby reassured as he pushed his hair off of his face. “Plus next weekend is Halloween so we can party it up after midterms to celebrate those bitches being done.”

“Wait, next weekend is Halloween?” Yunhyeong questioned curiously. 

“Didn’t Chanwoo say he wanted to come down for Halloweekend?” Donghyuk asked as his body perked up. “We should invite him down here!”

“He can stay in my guest room,” Jinhwan offered.

“Yes! Let me text him,” Yunhyeong exclaimed as he began typing rapidly on his phone. “If you think the six of us partying is fun, just wait until Chanwoo comes.”

“As long as there are no repeats from the last party we all went to, I’m down,” Junhoe recalled as he leaned against the back of the couch to get more comfortable. 

Donghyuk kissed his boyfriend’s cheek swiftly before answering, “Absolutely not. Never again.”

“We’re definitely over that,” Yunhyeong smiled lovingly at the younger before nodding swiftly in agreement. “Do you guys want to dress up though?”

“Are we in kindergarten? Why would we dress up?” Junhoe questioned as he rolled his eyes playfully.

“Just dress up as something slutty and you’ll be guaranteed to get laid,” Jinhwan suggested as he passed the bong to the younger.

“Are you flirting with me?” Junhoe asked as his eyebrows lifted in faux curiosity. 

Jinhwan laughed out loud, “In your dreams, June, in your dreams.”

The boys laughed alongside Jinhwan as Bobby turned his attention towards Hanbin, peering down at the younger before asking, “Should we get a couples costume?”

“That is repulsive,” Junhoe scoffed as he took a hit.

Hanbin smiled so wide it encompassed his entire face, “That _is_ repulsive and I love it.” The younger then pecked Bobby on the lips.

“Oh, you guys are moving fast,” Jinhwan said with a wiggle of his eyebrows. “We’ve already got some PDA going on.”

“Are you going to spend the rest of your life teasing us?” Bobby asked playfully as he squeezed Hanbin’s hand lovingly.

“Nah, not for my whole life,” the shortest shrugged as he placed the bong on the table. “Just for the rest of the year probably.” 

“I think I can deal with that,” Hanbin smiled as he leaned his head against Bobby’s shoulder. Even though they knew they would be teased just as harshly as Donghyuk and Yunhyeong, it didn’t matter to either Hanbin or Bobby. After all they had been through, teasing was a small price to pay for the two to be utterly happy with one another.

“Well, what do you want to be for Halloween?” Bobby asked quietly so he didn’t disturb the conversations floating between the other four. 

“I want to be yours,” Hanbin replied as he bit his lip.

Bobby giggled as he put his finger under Hanbin’s chin to pull their lips together. They kissed softly for a few moments before Junhoe fake-gagged, “I think I’m going to be sick. Get a room, you two.”

“A room besides the fucking guest room,” Jinhwan stated half-jokingly (but the other half really didn’t want to think about his friends fucking in his apartment again). 

The others laughed in harmony once again as Hanbin chuckled into Bobby’s shoulder to hide the pink in his cheeks. Bobby smiled into the top of Hanbin’s head as he pulled the younger close to him by the waist, making sure to give him a peck on his hair as he did so.

Those moments with Bobby felt like fairytales to Hanbin, even through the teasing from their friends. Deep down, Hanbin knew that it was all in good fun and that the other four were elated that him and Bobby had worked out their issues. Even though Hanbin was angry at Bobby for what happened, furious even, Hanbin knew that the place for him was in Bobby’s arms.

Everything felt perfect during those few hours at Jinhwan’s. Even though midterms were going to suck, Chanwoo was coming, Yunhyeong and Donghyuk made up, the group was stronger than ever, and Bobby was by Hanbin’s side loving him with all he had. 

Hanbin knew there were risks to loving Bobby. The elder didn’t know what a real relationship was like. All the brunette knew was lust and flings and passion that fizzled out fast. The younger would be lying if he said he wasn’t scared because he was truly terrified. He was terrified of Jisoo coming back, terrified of Bobby wandering off, and terrified that he was going to be too clingy. But with Bobby’s arms around him and the elder’s smile causing electricity to run through his veins, Hanbin felt like it was going to be alright. He felt like being vulnerable for once might turn into something beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just pure fluff and I hope you enjoyed it after all of the angst I've put you all through. But don't worry, angst is coming again soon in the next few chapters ;). Also, I have to say a huge thank you to all of the people who take the time to read this story. I am so honored that you all enjoy and I hope you continue to do so! As always, comments would be REALLY appreciated.


	14. Fire

“Has Chanwoo texted you yet?” Hanbin groaned from his seat next to Bobby, his head leaned against the elder’s shoulder as he pouted.

“20 minutes ago he said he was close, so he has to get here soon,” Yunhyeong enthused as he checked his phone for what felt like the 10th time in the past minute.

Bobby smiled at his friends’ enthusiasm. He had met Chanwoo before and thought he was a cool guy. He was certainly excited to meet up with him once again, but not nearly as excited as his four friends who were practically bouncing in their seats.

Suddenly, Donghyuk shot up from the chair after his phone buzzed in his hand. Three sharp knocks sounded on the door before the blonde boy harshly pulled it open, let out a squeal, and hugged a mop of black hair.

Yunhyeong, Junhoe, and Hanbin followed quickly behind until all five of them were interlocked in a group hug. Sentimental words of excitement were passed between the group, but Bobby could only make out a few of the “I miss you”s and “I love you”s that were shared.

After a few moments of crushing hugs, Chanwoo’s full body was revealed as Yunhyeong closed the door behind him. The youngest ruffled his hair back to it’s original place before greeting the other two, “Hey guys! It’s been a while; thank you for letting me stay here.”

“No problem, man,” Jinhwan brushed off as he walked up to Chanwoo with a smile and gave him a quick hug of welcome.

Bobby followed suit and gave Chanwoo a rough hug before speaking, “It’s nice to see you again, bro. What’s new? How’s senior year?” 

“It’s pretty good actually,” Chanwoo responded nonchalantly as Jinhwan began packing a bowl. “How’s college? Other than all the drama that you assholes can’t seem to escape.”

“Okay, to be fair, that was the most serious fight Donghyuk and I have ever been in,” Yunhyeong bit back playfully. Bobby couldn’t help but smile at the loving eyes the older brother had for Chanwoo. 

Jinhwan took a hit and passed it to Junhoe before talking, “We’ve been here for two months and we already have had enough drama to have our own show on Bravo.”

The group chuckled as they continued to pass the bong around the circle. Chanwoo told stories about his new friends and how he’s failing English (Yunhyeong made sure to give him a stone-cold lecture in the middle of the conversation about that), while the other boys caught the younger up on the parts of their lives they hadn’t mentioned in the group chat.

Although the group worked great as six now that the couples had made up, Bobby was shocked to see just how perfectly Chanwoo fit among them. His own older brother usually pushed Bobby to the side when his older friends came over, but Yunhyeong never shied away from including Chanwoo in even the most intimate and gruesome of conversation topics. That, paired with the sassy commentary that complimented Junhoe’s perfectly, made for an interesting round of toking.

After talking and smoking for a good forty minutes, the seven were sufficiently stoned. Once the conversation died down a bit, Chanwoo asked, “So, what time is this party? And what are you guys dressing up as?”

“We should actually start getting ready,” Jinhwan explained as he put up the bong and sprayed some air freshener to clear the room of some of the smoke. “I’m going to be a football player because I didn’t want to buy a costume and I have a jersey in my closet.”

“I respect the innovativeness,” Chanwoo commented as he crossed his legs comfortably. “I just brought cat ears and a hot outfit in hopes that college students will buy it as a costume.”

“Spoken like a true hoe,” Junhoe replied as he high fived the younger. “I’m also going as an animal. I bought bunny ears.”

“We’re going as sexy firemen,” Yunhyeong stated as he purred in faux seduction into Donghyuk’s ear. The younger squirmed in the elder’s grasp with a smile on his features.

“Bobby and I are going as Ennis and Jack from Brokeback Mountain,” Hanbin chimed in next with a chuckle.

“That is the gayest thing I’ve ever heard in my entire life,” Chanwoo chuckled. “I love it. Please tell me you even got the cowboy hats.”

“Of course,” Bobby said as he put his arm over Hanbin’s shoulders and pulled him close. “You’ve gotta go big or go home.” 

The group laughed again as they got up from their seats and began shuffling through their bags for their costumes. Donghyuk and Yunhyeong rushed off into the guest room before Bobby and Hanbin could, while Jinhwan, Junhoe, and Chanwoo went into Jinhwan’s bedroom to get ready. Bobby assumed the other couple would try to get a quickie in before they had to leave for the party, but that left Hanbin and himself in the living room to change.

It didn’t take long for everybody to get ready (except for Yunhyeong and Donghyuk who one hundred percent got a quickie in). Jinhwan looked casual in his football jersey and tennis shoes, while Chanwoo and Junhoe dressed almost identically in white t-shirts, leather jackets, and black pants. The only difference was the type of ears on their headbands.

Yunhyeong and Donghyuk looked objectively the hottest of the group. They went all out and bought matching firemen costumes at the costume shop downtown, so they were decked out in suspenders, firemen hats, boots, and pants, and excluded a shirt from the equation. Even though Bobby and Hanbin looked great in their buttoned up denim shirts, boots, skinny jeans, and cowboy hats, Yunhyeong and Donghyuk certainly won this round.

“Are you guys ready to go?” Donghyuk asked politely as he put his phone in his pocket. 

“I am, but it doesn’t look like you two are,” Hanbin commented as he gestured towards his best friend and Yunhyeong. “No shirts?”

Donghyuk blushed and hid his face into the crook of Yunhyeong shoulder as the elder replied, “Hey, don’t hate, we look good!”

“I really should’ve gone as a firefighter too. There’s no way you two aren’t getting laid tonight and I need those kind of odds,” Junhoe huffed as he zipped up his leather jacket.

“Well you’ll attract all the furries this way,” Bobby shot back playfully as Hanbin giggled beside him.

“I hate you,” Junhoe claimed as he tried to control his smile to keep his stoic expression, but a hint of a grin still peaked through as he began walking out of the door. “Let’s get going.”

Bobby, Hanbin, and Junhoe all piled into Jinhwan’s car while the other three took Yunhyeong’s car. Although it was only a short drive, Junhoe and Jinhwan carried on a lengthy conversation about the new book Junhoe was obsessed with while Bobby and Hanbin cuddled up in the backseat. It was a little difficult with the addition of cowboy hats, but it felt perfect to have Hanbin against his shoulder nonetheless.

They arrived at 9:30, which was only 30 minutes after the party had begun, but it was still difficult to find a parking spot. Halloweekend was no fucking joke to these college kids, so they wanted to start drinking as soon as possible. Hell, Bobby had even seen a kid drinking Bacardi in his night class the night previous in preparation for the parties that weekend.

The Halloween party wasn’t at Jinhyeong’s house, but the setting was mostly the same. Flip Cup and Beer Pong were being played in the dining room, the enormous supply of alcohol sat scattered across the kitchen counters, and groups of young adults bumped and grinded to the beat of dance music in the living room.

However, something felt importantly different in comparison to the last party the group attended. Of course the addition of Chanwoo and all of the party-goers wearing costumes could be the reasoning, but it felt deeper than that to Bobby. This time around, there was no tension between Yunhyeong and Donghyuk. The two, if even possible, looked more in love than ever before.

More importantly, there was no hesitation to the touches shared between Hanbin and himself. Even the smallest of touches lit Bobby’s body on fire, but they were much more casual this time around. There were no questioning, nervous glances exchanged between the two as they interlocked their fingers or planted kisses on each other’s foreheads and cheeks; it was natural and comfortable. 

Once the seven had made it through the door, they went right towards the alcohol. Yunhyeong poured a mixed drink with Vodka and Sprite for both him and Donghyuk while Bobby poured shots of fireball for the remaining five.

All seven lifted their drinks up and awaited for someone to toast amongst the group, so Jinhwan did the honors, “To a kickass night. For real this time!”

The boys cheered in unison as they clinked their glasses together and shot the liquid fire down their throats. Everybody grimaced but Bobby, who immediately started pouring another drink for himself. He was interrupted by someone tapping on his and Hanbin’s shoulder.

“Hey! Do you guys want to play Flip Cup with us again?” a familiar voice rang from beside Bobby and Hanbin. It was the same girl who they had played with at Jinhyeong’s party. “Also, I’m loving the costumes. Are you guys sexy, gay cowboys?”

“Close,” Hanbin replied with a smirk. “We’re the main characters from Brokeback Mountain.”

The blonde chuckled, “I love it. That’s some fine creativity. All I did was put on mouse ears.”

“Well, you look nice,” Hanbin smiled politely and she couldn’t help but blush. The girl knew he was off limits, but Bobby knew just as well as the rest of the room that Hanbin was a gorgeous man. “But we were actually going to go dance. Maybe later?”

“Sure!” the girl responded enthusiastically as she took another sip from her mixed drink. “See you guys around.”

The boys nodded with a smile as she walked off and back into a heated game of Flip Cup that could be heard from the kitchen. The pair took a few more shots together before Bobby gripped Hanbin by the hips and pulled him closer, “You’re a really sexy gay cowboy.”

“So are you,” Hanbin blushed and smiled into Bobby’s chest before pulling away and smirking, “But this gay cowboy wants to dance. Come on!”

The younger pulled Bobby excitedly into the living room where various gay and straight couples were dancing. Yunhyeong and Donghyuk were already there stealing the show as Donghyuk grinded against his elder. It appeared that the two fireman were definitely going to get some tonight, and Bobby was desperately hoping for the same.

Once the pair made it to the dance floor, the younger wasted no time. Hanbin moved so sinfully and so perfectly against Bobby that the elder swore he was unreal. The way the younger’s body grinded against his own and the feeling of Hanbin’s hips gripped underneath his firm fingertips was just too good to be true. Except it wasn’t. Kim Hanbin in all of his perfection, all of his sinful perfection, was real and right before Bobby.

It was no secret that the both of them were incredibly turned on even between the sweaty bodies grinding around them to the same shitty club hits. They were hoping to be the couple who got a quickie in before the party, so they were still excited from the pre-party at Jinhwan’s since Yunhyeong and Donghyuk beat them to it. Bobby’s erection prodded at Hanbin’s ass with each delicious move of his hips and the elder could see Hanbin’s every time the younger spun around.

In a rush of bravery and arousal-induced impulsivity, Bobby pulled Hanbin back gently by the hair. The elder leaned in slowly, letting a rush of his breath hit Hanbin’s ear, before whispering, “Do you want to take this upstairs?”

Thankfully the younger’s moan was only heard between the two in the chaos of the music and the party. Everybody was too distracted by their own needs to pay much attention to the two sneaking off up the stairs of the party and into the nearest bedroom they could find. 

What they found seemed to be a guest room of sorts. It was too sparsely decorated and organized to be anybody’s permanent room. That would change quickly enough as Bobby shut the door behind them and made sure to lock it. Before doing anything, the two immediately discarded their hats to God-knows-where on the opposite side of the bedroom.

Afterwards, Hanbin immediately gripped Bobby’s shirt in his hands and pulled him near to him. His face was pure sex in those moments, all sweat and lust and dark eyes as he dragged the elder until they both flopped onto the bed. 

Bobby wasted no time in kissing the younger as he put his hands next to Hanbin’s face. His pose was pure dominance and Hanbin would be lying if he said he didn’t love being under Bobby’s fierce, protective frame. Their lips melded together with a sloppiness that was fueled by alcohol, but the two were sober enough to enjoy the dirtiness of the fast-paced kisses.

Hanbin’s tongue pushed against the elder’s lips not long after the kiss began. He had been turned on for what felt like ages while dancing with Bobby, and all he wanted was to feel every part of the elder’s unbearable heat. It only took a millisecond for Bobby to grant him access with a moan and a few swipes of his tongue against the brunette’s.

The younger then took control by flipping the two over. Bobby chuckled slightly in surprise, but it didn’t last for long as Hanbin gripped the elder’s face firmly in his hands and began kissing him with a brand-new hunger. Hanbin loved playing for dominance, but they both knew that Bobby would win when all was said and done. 

To play with Bobby further, Hanbin began grinding his clothed erection down against the elder’s. It started off slow and innocent in-between the wet kisses, but soon Hanbin’s movements turned into swift, delicious motions. They both let out whimpers at the action as Bobby began grinding against him as well, too desperate for friction to control himself. It felt so delicious that Bobby swore he could come right then and there. 

Before either of them got too ahead of themselves, Bobby maneuvered Hanbin off of him until he was the one on top again. The elder immediately began unbuttoning the long line of buttons down his chest and abdomen and Hanbin couldn’t help but whimper and follow suit, his hips still rutting up for nonexistent friction.

Bobby then tore the shirt from his arms and threw it into some dark corner of the room before helping Hanbin do the same. The elder crashed upon Hanbin as he kissed down his neck, to his chest, and to his abdomen until he reached the button of his jeans.

Hanbin whined deliciously as the elder unzipped his pants and discarded them on the floor, leaving the younger in just his white boxer briefs. The younger was squirming all around as Bobby continued to kiss and lick up and down his chest until he landed on his nipples. The elder flicked his tongue against one as he trailed his hand until it reached Hanbin’s manhood. 

The younger panted as Bobby rubbed against his erection and continued to lick his nipples before moving up to his neck and leaving soft kisses there. Bobby left a pretty purple bruise as he continued to rub his hands deliciously against Hanbin’s clothed erection.

“Oh my fucking God,” Hanbin panted as he knotted his fingers in the elder’s hair before pulling him off of his neck to meet him face-to-face. “Come here.”

Bobby followed his lover’s instructions until they were sloppily kissing once again. As they did so, Hanbin pulled down the elder’s pants and tossed them to the side of the bed. He pulled away for a short moment to breathe heavily, “Please tell me you brought lube and a condom.”

The elder smirked before giving Hanbin once more kiss and replying, “You know I did.”

“Hurry, please get it. I can’t take it,” the brunette moaned as he rutted against Bobby. “Please baby, I need your cock.”

Bobby growled as he pecked Hanbin one last time and quickly moved to his discarded pants to take out two condoms and a travel sized bottle of lube. The elder wasted no time in taking Hanbin’s underwear off and pouring a generous amount of lube onto his fingers.

The younger’s erection was already red and leaking and it took everything in Bobby’s power not to take him right there. They both wanted hot, pounding sex, but they also wanted to make their first time special, so Bobby started off as slow as his raging hormones allowed.

Bobby rubbed his pointer finger against Hanbin’s ass as he licked a stripe against his lover’s length. Hanbin began squirming right away as he gripped firmly onto the pillows underneath his head. As Bobby pushed in a finger, Hanbin let out the hottest whimper.

He took his time scissoring into Hanbin’s ass. Making sure to add another finger in slowly and only when the younger was ready. Bobby didn’t stop licking against Hanbin’s cock the entire time, making sure to tease him enough to get him riled up but not enough to cum.

Once Bobby fit in four fingers, Hanbin was ready to lose his mind as he spoke, “I’m ready. Please, just put it in me. Please, please!”

Bobby licked his lips as pulled his fingers away and began pulling on the condom. Hanbin whined at the loss of Bobby’s hot fingers, but the anticipation of feeling Bobby’s cock in every part of him was enough to drive him crazy. The elder hurriedly sloshed on a generous amount of lube onto his cock before pumping it lazily a few times to distribute it evenly before making his way in-between Hanbin’s legs.

The younger was already pushing himself against Bobby, too excited and shameless to care how desperate he was for him. It didn’t bother Bobby in the slightest. Hell, it was so hot Bobby swore he could cum on the sight alone. He teased Hanbin first by pushing his erection against his tight hole without pushing in.

“Bobby,” Hanbin whimpered out as he pushed his hair away from his sweaty forehead. “Please fuck me. I can’t take it anymore.”

The elder chuckled as he planted a kiss on Hanbin’s forehead and responded, “I got you, baby. I’ll take such good care of you.”

And with that, Bobby pushed slowly into Hanbin. Each of the boys let out a filthy groan as the elder continued to sheath his cock into the younger’s ass inch by inch. By the time Bobby was balls deep, they were both already panting. The elder wanted nothing more than to pound into the younger, but he controlled himself for Hanbin. He cared for him too much to hurt him even in the slightest.

After a few moments of adjusting, Hanbin smiled and caressed Bobby’s cheek, “I’m okay; you can move.” 

Bobby didn’t hesitate to pull his cock out and push it back in. He started off slow so the younger could adjust accordingly, but it didn’t take long before he began quickening his movements until the bed started shaking with each powerful thrust.

Hanbin was a mewling mess before long and Bobby wasn’t far behind him. Hanbin let out small whimpers and moans while Bobby groaned and growled each time his cock was entirely inside of the younger. The elder looked down at his cock moving in and out of Hanbin so quickly and couldn’t help but moan and throw his head back at the sight.

The younger gripped onto Bobby’s biceps after a few moments, enjoying the way they flexed each time he thrusted into him. Hanbin began meeting his thrusts as he threw his head back to fully immerse himself in the pleasure.

It didn’t take longer than a minute or two before Bobby hit the perfect spot inside of Hanbin. The younger moaned loud enough for the hallway to hear as he pulled Bobby down until their bodies were sweaty and rubbing against one another. The elder continued thrusting as Hanbin laced his fingers in his hair and whispered, “Right there. Fuck, Bobby right fucking there.”

“Here?” Bobby asked cockily as he hardly thrusted right into Hanbin’s prostate. The younger mewled into the elder’s neck as he quickly nodded in agreement. In a hint of bravery, Bobby continued. “Do you like that baby? Hm? Do you like my cock pounding into you?”

“Oh my fucking God,” Hanbin moaned as he bit Bobby’s shoulder. “You feel so fucking good. I love it, baby. I love your fat cock. Let me ride you.” 

Now it was Bobby’s turn to mewl as they switched positions, not letting Bobby’s cock move from inside of him as they did so. Seeing Hanbin in his sweaty, hot glory above him turned the elder on to unbelievably and it only increased as the younger began bouncing on top of him.

Bobby moaned as he attempted to meet Hanbin’s sharp thrusts, but they were sloppy due to his overeagerness and how close he was to cumming. Since he wanted the younger to cum first, Bobby gripped Hanbin’s erection as he continued to bounce against his prostate.

“Fuck yes, touch me just like that,” Hanbin groaned as he closed his eyes in pleasure.

“Anything for you, baby boy,” Bobby remarked as he continued to rub his cock between his palm. “You look so fucking hot like this.” 

Hanbin moaned filthily as he leaned back against his hand and fucked against Bobby at an ungodly speed. They were both so close, and Bobby’s rough hand rubbing against Hanbin at the exact speed of his movements was about to send him over the edge.

And it did. Hanbin screamed as his cum splattered against Bobby’s abs and his own. As his ass clenched and throbbed against Bobby, the elder couldn’t help but release into the condom with a loud groan and a few thrusts so they could both ride out their highs to the fullest. 

Hanbin kept bouncing until his cock couldn’t take it anymore and the spurts of cum stopped. Bobby gripped the younger’s hips and pulled him off of his cock slowly and Hanbin crashed against the bed. They both groaned at the loss of contact as Bobby got up to discard of the condom and grab some tissues off of the bedside table to clean them both up.

The younger whined when Bobby left, but smiled when he came back and began cleaning his release off of both of their stomachs. Once he did so, Bobby discarded of the dirty tissues in the trashcan in the corner and crawled back onto the bed.

Hanbin wasted no time in cuddling against his lover’s bare chest. Bobby pulled him close and wrapped his arms around the younger as he planted kisses against the top of his head. He sighed, “That was fucking amazing.”

“You’re fucking amazing,” Hanbin complimented as he looked up at the elder and kissed the bottom of his chin.

A smile beamed across Bobby’s face as he gently lifted Hanbin’s chin in his fingertips and pulled him in for a kiss. They kissed slowly and passionately and completely unlike the hot kisses before for a few minutes, just enjoying the feeling of each other so close and naked and vulnerable.

Unfortunately, it didn’t last long as a few knocks rang against the door. Both of them groaned as Jinhwan’s voice called from the other side, “I know you gay cowboy fucks are in there. We’re heading to another party in a few so you better be dressed and in my car in the next five minutes.”

The two chuckled at their friend as they begrudgingly rose from the bed and began putting on their cowboy attire. Bobby gave the younger one last kiss before taking his hand and going out of the room, trailing down the stairs, and piling into the back of Jinhwan’s car. 

Jinhwan and Junhoe were still inside saying their goodbyes, so the couple had a few moments to themselves in the vehicle. Bobby spoke first, “You make me so happy, Bin. I just want you to know that.”

Hanbin looked up at the elder lovingly before responding, “You make me happier than you know.”

Bobby couldn’t help but chuckle as he leaned in and gave his lover another peck. Once Junhoe and Jinhwan piled into the car and made an obnoxious comment about the couple’s sex life, Hanbin cuddled against the elder once again.

“Hey, do you mind dropping Bin and I off at the dorm?” Bobby asked bravely as Hanbin gave him a curious glance.

“You guys just fucked,” Jinhwan remarked as he took the turn onto campus. “You’re going for round two already?”

“Nah,” Bobby said nonchalantly. “I just want to cuddle.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I suck for making you all wait over 2 weeks for this, but I hope you enjoyed nonetheless! I'm currently writing two stories plus going to school full time and working part time, so my life is a bit busy. I really appreciate all of you for leaving wonderful comments and kudos and for waiting for this chapter! It really means the world <3\. Please leave a comment if you have time!


	15. Ice

Hanbin was woken up the next morning by a stream of texts buzzing his phone to life. He grumbled at the sound as he stretched his arms out and cuddled closer into Bobby, trying to ignore the day in favor of staying snuggled up with the elder.

“Good morning,” Bobby said, his voice deep and groggy.

“Good morning,” Hanbin replied as he pecked the elder on the lips. Bobby smiled at him and gave him one more peck before the younger continued, “I like waking up in your arms.”

“Me too,” Bobby agreed as he nuzzled his face into Hanbin’s neck and put his arms around him to bring him closer. Hanbin chuckled at his lover’s antics as he grabbed his phone off of the desk and began reading while he played with Bobby’s hair with his free hand.

 **Yunhyeong:** Is everyone awake?  
 **Chanwoo:** I’m barely alive  
 **Junhoe:** Seconded. What’s up?  
 **Donghyuk:** I’m hungover but I’m hungry. Wanna meet up at the dining hall?  
 **Chanwoo:** Sure. Jinhwan said we’ll be over there in 20.  
 **Junhoe:** Sounds good. Somebody make sure the cowboy lovebirds are awake.

Hanbin chuckled at his friends before typing back a reply, insisting that the two were awake and also very hungry. After 20 minutes, a lot of groaning, a copious amount of coffee, and advil for all, the seven boys met up at the dining hall. Jinhwan and Junhoe had travel mugs of coffee cuddled close to their bodies while Chanwoo and Donghyuk rubbed soothing circles into their temples. 

“What’s wrong with all of you?” Yunhyeong asked perkily as they all queued up in the breakfast food line. “Saturday is the best because they serve breakfast until two. It’s a glorious day.”

“Just when I thought this hangover couldn’t get any worse, your perkiness is somehow doing just that,” Junhoe groaned as he lazily plopped hashbrowns onto his tray. “I can’t believe that your body is incapable of getting a hangover.” 

“I’m more pissed that it isn’t genetic,” Chanwoo sighed as he grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerated items.

Donghyuk chuckled as he situated his beanie on his head and got in the line to pay, “I’m more pissed that Hanbin and Bobby got dicked down so good last night that they don’t even have a hangover.”

Hanbin smiled with his arms linked with Bobby’s as he spoke, “We all know damn well that those fireman costumes got you two laid last night. That’s why you two stayed in my room and I went to Bobby’s.”

“Only because you two were too busy being emotional cowboys in my room,” Yunhyeong grumbled back. “Speaking of, Junhoe, did the bunny ears get you anywhere last night?”

“It actually did, thank you very much,” Junhoe responded as he flipped his hair pridefully. “I felt bad though because she didn’t even spend the night. We were both too sick to move after we fucked.”

“Oh, that’s rough buddy,” Jinhwan chuckled as he took a gulp from his travel mug.

“Eh, we both got what we wanted so I’d call it a success,” Junhoe shrugged. 

The seven chuckled as they all paid and made their way to an empty table near the middle of the dining hall. Most Saturdays the cafeteria was nearly empty but that Saturday seemed especially deserted to Hanbin. He figured it was due to how many of his classmates were probably still drunk in a stranger’s bedroom as the seven of them began to eat.

The only tables filled besides their own was a small group of pretty girls as well as a table of two boys eating silently and scrolling through their phones in the corner. It felt peaceful even though all of his friends were sick with hangovers.

“So, how was your first college party, Chanwoo?” Jinhwan questioned after taking a hearty bite of sausage.

“I feel nothing but regret now, but it was fucking fun while it was happening,” Chanwoo admitted honestly as he took a gulp of water. “I actually applied here and am waiting on whether or not I got in.”

“Wait, really?” Hanbin asked, his eyes widened in enthusiasm.

“Yeah! Did you guys really think I’d let all of my best friends go to the same school without me? You all are dumber than I thought,” Chanwoo teased.

“That’s so exciting! You have great grades, so I’m sure you’ll get in,” Donghyuk smiled warmly at the younger as he linked arms with Yunhyeong. “Next year will be even better then! We have fun as six, but we’ll tear up this campus with all seven of us.”

“We should move into the apartments next year so we can all be closer,” Junhoe suggested.

“And have less rules,” Bobby chimed in with his mouth full of eggs. “I’m tired of having to hide my stash so expertly.” 

“Spoken like a true pothead,” Jinhwan mumbled.

“Damn straight,” Bobby laughed as he wrapped an arm around Hanbin’s shoulders.

The seven were pulled from their conversation as one of the pretty girls from the table Hanbin had been eyeing earlier started making her way to their group. Hanbin eyed her curiously as she smiled sheepishly and talked, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Bobby, can I talk to you for a sec?”

Bobby immediately ripped his arm off of Hanbin’s shoulders and stood up from his seat before responding, “Sure, Mina. What’s up?”

The two wandered off outside of the dining hall into the hallway and began talking, but none of the boys could make out any of the conversation from where they sat.The friends stayed silent as they watched the interactions closely, but nobody was as intensely focused as Hanbin.

Who was Mina and why hadn’t he ever heard about her before? Hanbin figured that the two’s relationship was innocent, but it didn’t stop him from turning stoic and frozen still, waiting anxiously to hear what the small girl had wanted.

The younger’s anger only increased as Mina placed her hand on Bobby’s shoulder as she let out a breathy laugh. Hanbin stiffened as his lover gently put his hand over Mina’s and let out an equally charming chuckle.

The brunette scrunched his hands into fists and pounded one against the table before speaking, “Who the fuck is that?”

The six boys’ expression turned quickly to panic, knowing full well that an ice storm was brewing by the way that anger flushed Hanbin’s cheeks. Jinhwan gulped, “I don’t know much about her, but Bobby and her had a class together last semester. She talked with us a bit at some parties last year, but other than that I don’t know much.”

“Well it’s obvious she has a fucking crush on him,” Hanbin spat angrily.

Yunhyeong put his hand on Hanbin’s tentatively to calm him down as he recalled, “She confessed to him last year but he wasn’t into it at all. She’s not really his type.”

The elder had hoped that his words would come as a comfort to his friend, but it only angered Hanbin further as he dramatically pushed his chair out and began making his way over to Mina and Bobby. He could faintly hear the other five cautioning him to stop, but Hanbin couldn’t process it through his rage.

As he approached, the laughing and smiles on both Mina and Bobby’s faces quickly faded. Mina looked at Hanbin quizzically as the younger butted in, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but can I have a minute with Bobby?”

Hanbin had attempted to sound relatively friendly, but all Mina could hear was biting, brewing anger. She gulped, “Y-yeah, sure. I’ll see you around, Bobby.”

“Yeah, see you around,” Bobby responded somberly, terrified to hear why his lover was so heated. The elder turned his attention to Hanbin as Mina walked away, “Why did you do that?”

“Why did I interrupt your little flirting session with that girl?” Hanbin asked dumbfoundedly, his eyes widened with anger and shock at Bobby’s inconsiderate actions. “Because it fucking hurt my feelings to see you all over her. That’s why.”

“Hanbin, we were just talking,” Bobby defended as he crossed his arms over his chest, trying to cut himself off from this conversation.

That only angered the younger further, “Touching all over each other and laughing is your idea of just talking? Yunhyeong told me she had a crush on you. Do you like her too?”

“Jesus, Bin,” Bobby huffed as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “She had a crush on me over a year ago. We’re just friends. I haven’t talked to her in months, so we were just catching up.”

“Couldn’t you have caught up without all of the flirting?” Hanbin asked as his voice raised in volume. “Especially when I was looking right at you.”

“Hanbin, it’s nothing like that,” Bobby sighed as he rolled his eyes. “If I didn’t have eyes for only you, we wouldn’t be where we were. I wouldn’t be holding you and making love to you if I wasn’t all in on this.”

“You know I’m insecure, Bobby,” Hanbin muttered, his voice sheepish and small as sadness washed over him. “It just hurts. I’m barely over the idea of you and Jisoo and now you do this right in front of me. I’m just hurt and I wish you wouldn’t do it.”

Now it was Bobby’s turn to get angry, “Am I going to have to apologize for Jisoo our entire relationship?”

Hanbin’s mouth formed a thin line as his eyes peered up angrily at the elder and he spat, “Maybe you fucking will. It was fucked up what you did.” 

“I know it was!” Bobby yelled, now grabbing the attention of the various students walking in and out of the dining hall. “But I don’t know what else to do! I’m sorry, Hanbin, I am. I fucked up and I know I did. I know I’m a fuck up but I’m fucking trying because I care about you.”

“Well, you should fucking try harder,” Hanbin declared as he grit his teeth together in frustration. His body turned cold after his words left his mouth, his expression stoic and unmoving as he crossed his arms together.

“Don’t push me out like this. I see what you’re doing, Bin,” Bobby pried, his hands reaching out to uncross the younger’s arms but he was harshly denied. 

Hanbin ripped his arms from the elder’s grasp and moved further away, “I’ll do what I fucking want.”

“Bin, let’s just talk about this before you get out of control,” Bobby dared to say. 

“Before _I_ get out of control?” Hanbin yelled in disbelief. “How dare you. How dare you come into my life with a fucking girlfriend and lead me on. How dare you drag me along until you know for sure that you’re done with Jisoo. How dare you flirt with that fucking girl right in front of me when you know it would make me feel like this.”

“Bin-” Bobby started to whine.

“Don’t fucking call me that,” Hanbin hissed. “You know that I’m weak, Bobby. I know it’s hard to deal with and I know I’m a mess, but it hurts so much to know that you still flirt with other people. Am I only around because you don’t have a girl in your life that you want more?”

“Hanbin, don’t be ridiculous,” Bobby pleaded. 

“Am I really being ridiculous?” Hanbin questioned intensely. “Because every time you’re around women you get like this. Are you really gay at all?”

Hanbin could tell that his last words set something off inside of the elder. He could see heat rising into Bobby’s eyes and cheeks and bloodstream as his body tightened and he replied, “How dare you bring my sexuality into question after what I’ve told you about my life and my parents. How fucking dare you.”

“How fucking dare you flirt with that girl in front of me when you knew that it would hurt me. How dare you do that to me when every boy I’ve ever fucking loved has cheated on me,” Hanbin choked out as tears began to prick at his eyes. “I thought you were different from the get go but all you’ve done is continuously prove me wrong. I’m over it.”

Bobby’s chest deflated in sadness as Hanbin began headings towards the door, his friends and tray back in the dining hall long forgotten. The elder called out, “Bin, wait.” 

But Hanbin wouldn’t wait, couldn’t wait with tears pricking at his eyes. Hanbin felt the heat of Bobby’s hands reach for him, but he didn’t let Bobby see him like that. He couldn’t let him know that even in his strongest, most ice-cold moments, he was that weak. 

Hanbin realized something important as he swiftly made his way down the steps to the dining hall exit: Bobby was fire. He was all burning buildings and chaos and trying to escape the unbearable heat of his being. And Hanbin was ice. He was frozen still and cold to the touch and melting away with every step closer Bobby got. 

But now, all Hanbin wanted to do was escape, to run away. Run away from Bobby, run away from the doubts surrounding their relationship, run away from the idea that Bobby might not ever be able to have a normal relationship after the things he’s been through. And hell, maybe Hanbin couldn’t either.

And so he did. He ran out of the dining hall and into his room, ignoring the sound of his name rolling off of Bobby’s lips and the questioning gazes of the people around him. Bobby eventually stopped calling and Hanbin’s tears eventually couldn’t hold back anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember that angst I told you all to be prepared for? Well, here it is. I know it's not as fluffy as you all had probably imagined, but I hope you all enjoy this chapter nonetheless! As always, I am so appreciative for the love, kudos, and comments I get on this story; thank you! Please leave a comment if you have the time <3.


	16. Fire

**Jinhwan:** You guys are both being ridiculous.  
 **Jinhwan:** Hanbin misses you. You miss Hanbin. Kiss and makeup!

Bobby sighed as he read through another stream of messages from his older best friend. He knew damn well that the small man was right, but it didn’t stop him from feeling terrified about what was going to happen if he decided to confront Hanbin. So, he waited and waited to do it.

He spent most of the next week alone or in-between awkward conversations with the rest of the group. The last time the seven of them were all together was when everyone said goodbye to Chanwoo, but that within itself was unbearably uncomfortable with Hanbin’s eyes stabbing into Bobby like daggers.

For the rest of the week, the group spent time together separately just like they did when Yunhyeong and Donghyuk as well as Hanbin and himself were fighting. To put it simply: it fucking sucked. Bobby thought that the fighting and the elephant in the room would be done for after the couples had made up for the first time, but clearly he was wrong. 

Bobby spent most of his time with Yunhyeong, Jinhwan, and Donghyuk, tip-toeing around talking about the fight in favor of discussing school and end of the semester preparations. Most of the time Bobby just went off by himself to smoke in Hanbin and his spot so that the other five could hang out without him intruding. 

It was a lonely few days, but Bobby had a lot of time to think. To think about his place in the group, to think about the schoolwork he’d been putting off for weeks, and most importantly about what the hell he was going to do about Hanbin. There was no denying that Bobby was completely enamored with Hanbin. Every time he saw him, no matter if they were fighting or not, Bobby felt his heart skip beats like people always talked about in all of his favorite songs. Even though they had their fair share of disagreements, Bobby couldn’t stop thinking about Hanbin and all of his magnificent qualities. 

Hanbin had changed Bobby; that much was clear. Although the elder would always be a little wild and would always live life on the edge, Hanbin made him want to settle down at least a little bit.The only relationship Bobby had ever had was rocky and forced upon him, so Hanbin was a breath of fresh air. Hanbin felt more like love than anything else Bobby had ever experienced before.

Exactly one week after the fight, Bobby finished up his blunt on his own before making it back to the dorm. He used the stairs opposite of Hanbin and Donghyuk’s room to avoid any awkward confrontations before sneaking into his own room.

Quite out of the ordinary, Yunhyeong was sitting in his bed with his eyes glued to his phone screen when Bobby walked in. Even more surprisingly, Donghyuk wasn’t with him. Bobby took this as some sign from God or the universe to finally talk the fight out with somebody. And who could be a better option than one of his closest friends?

“Hey man,” Yunhyeong greeted casually as Bobby kicked off his shoes and flopped down onto his bed.

“Hey brother,” Bobby replied as he stretched his limbs and tried to come up with what he was going to say next. Bobby knew that Yunhyeong loved him and that he was one of Yunhyeong’s closest friends, but he had to be careful about crossing any lines. The elder had made it very clear that he didn’t want to pick sides when it came to Hanbin and Bobby from the getgo, but he didn’t see any harm in asking his friend for some advice.

Before the younger could speak up, Yunhyeong set his phone on his chest and turned to Bobby, “So, are we ever going to talk about what happened with Bin?”

Bobby let out a sigh of relief, “I’d really like to if you don’t mind.”

“Of course I don’t mind,” the elder responded confidently. “I’m just so damn tired of you two fighting. We need to come up with a solution.”

“That would be marvelous,” Bobby agreed with a sigh. “I know that part of this is my fault, but Hanbin just fucking exploded on me, man. I don’t know how to handle him if he gets like that and I can’t imagine constantly fighting. I care about him so much, but I just don’t know how to fix something like this.”

“As you know, Hanbin is a complex guy,” Yunhyeong started as he pushed his hair off of his forehead. “I know he’s moody, but he has genuine reason to be. I know it’s obvious to you and I that he’s smoking hot, but he has a lot of insecurities that eat him alive sometimes. I’ve had to go over to his house plenty of times in the middle of the night because he couldn’t calm himself down.”

“Wow, that’s so sad,” Bobby admitted as his lips formed into a frown. “We’ve gone out and smoked and talked when he was sad before, but he’s never really told me the extent. All I know is that his last few boyfriends have all cheated on him.”

“Yeah, that’s been hard on him. That’s why he has a wall of sheer ice wrapped around him so nobody can get in. I don’t know how the hell you got to see the most vulnerable parts of him so early,” Yunhyeong stated. “I think you guys have something really special. It would be a shame if it all went to waste.”

“But what if I’ve already fucked it up too badly? What if the damage I’ve done is unfixable?” Bobby questioned nervously as he rolled onto his stomach. “I know keeping Jisoo from him was a big mistake. I regret it every fucking day, especially now.”

“You did fuck up,” Yunhyeong agreed with a shrug. “But you guys made up and moved on from it. Sure, he mentioned it in the fight, but I think that was more of a defense mechanism than anything else. Besides, he said some hurtful things too, Bob.”

Bobby thought back to some of the icy words Hanbin threw his way during the argument about his gayness, or lack thereof in his eyes. There was no denying that it sent off a burning rage through Bobby that made him say some regrettable things, but it was a touchy subject for him. Bobby’s parents had invalidated his sexuality from the beginning and it felt even worse coming from somebody who did nothing but validate his sexuality up until that point. 

“I feel like we know so much about each other that we know exactly where to hit where it hurts, which is why we have these blowout fights. But I want to work on it,” Bobby said as he rested his head against his pillow. “I just want him back, Yunhyeong. I miss him so much. Even through the bullshit I fucking miss him.” 

“Well, he certainly misses you too,” the elder blurted.

Bobby perked up at that before asking, “Wait, really? Did he say something?”

“You two are just as bad as The Real Housewives when it comes to gossiping,” Yunhyeong chuckled lightly before continuing. “But yes, he did. He misses you too. He feels like an ass for bringing up your sexuality.”

“I feel like an ass for not realizing how hard Mina was coming onto me right in front of him,” Bobby said somberly. “Do you think he’d talk to me if I went to see him?”

“Is this real? Kim Bobby being nervous about talking to his crush? Oh, how the times have changed,” Yunhyeong playfully teased as Bobby reached over to smack his arm.

“Shut up,” Bobby chuckled after Yunhyeong rubbed his arm where the younger hit him. “Hanbin’s turning me into a damn hopeless romantic.”

“It’s adorable, Bobby, it really is,” the elder said as he sat up on the bed. “I think the three youngest are all in Hanbin’s room as we speak. Do you want to go now?”

“R-right now?” the younger gulped as he sat up on his own bed. “Do you think he’ll take it well?”

“I do,” Yunhyeong remarked as he put on a pair of slides and grabbed his keys off of his desk. “Alright, loverboy, let’s go.”

Bobby nodded in response as he slipped on a pair of shoes and grabbed his keys as well. He took a deep breath as the two made their way down the hallway and stopped in front of Habin and Donghyuk’s room. The two ignored the passerby’s questioning expressions as they stood by the door nervously for a few moments.

Yunhyeong knocked on the door shortly after they arrived and began talking, “Alright, Bobby. You got this. It’s going to be okay.”

Anxiety flooded through Bobby’s system as they waited. He knew deep down that nothing too terrible could happen with Yunhyeong, Donghyuk, and Junhoe on standby, but it didn’t stop Bobby from worrying. He just wanted things between him and Hanbin to be okay again. He wanted Hanbin in his arms again. 

Donghyuk opened the door and Yunhyeong passed Bobby by to plant a kiss on his boyfriend’s temple before sneaking his way into the dorm. The blonde gave Bobby a bright smile as he welcomed him, “Hey, Bobby!”

“Hey, Dong,” Bobby greeted him happily with a small hug as he welcomed him in.

Junhoe nodded at Bobby in hello and he returned it before turning his attention to Hanbin, who was sitting criss-crossed in his bed next to the tallest of the group. Bobby smiled, “Hey, Hanbin.”

“Hello, Bobby,” Hanbin responded weakly as he glared up at the elder. Although the same icy expression that Bobby had seen so many times before remained on his face, something felt much softer in that moment, more open. 

“Do you, uh,” Bobby began as he scratched the back of his neck nervously. “Do you want to talk, Hanbin?”

All eyes were intense on the brunette after the last word left Bobby’s lips, scared that he might blow up again. However, the younger of the two simply uttered, “Sure.”

Bobby nodded and moved out of the way so Hanbin could exit the room before him. The duo then made their way into the hallway. Bobby scanned the hall briefly to make sure nobody was around before he began, “First of all, I’m sorry, Hanbin.”

“Actually, Bobby,” Hanbin interrupted gently. Bobby looked at him quizzically, fear filling his chest before the younger continued. “I’m sorry too. No matter what happened, I never should’ve put your sexuality into question. It was a shitty, false, low-blow and I promise I won’t do it again.”

Bobby was speechless. He wanted an apology from Hanbin, but he had no idea that the brunette felt so guilty that he had felt the need to say sorry first. The elder sighed in relief, “Thank you, really. And I’m sorry too. I promise it wasn’t my intention to flirt with her. I just get flirty without even realizing it and then it’s too late. I promise I’ll work on it and I swear if I ever talk to Mina again, I’ll make it clear that you and I are a thing. I mean...if you still want to be a thing...with me.”

Hanbin looked down sheepishly and smiled, “O-of course I do. I know we both have shit we need to work on and we both have a lot to learn about love, but I want to work and learn with you.”

The elder’s bunny teeth peeked out from his lips at Hanbin’s words as he brought the brunette into his chest for a hug. Hanbin nuzzled into his chest as Bobby kissed against the top of his head before speaking, “I agree. Let’s figure this love shit out together.”

“Agreed,” Hanbin chuckled into his chest before pulling away to look at Bobby’s eye smile beaming across his face.

Bobby’s expression turned serious before he talked, “You know what, Bin? Let’s do this shit right.”

“What do you mean?” Hanbin asked curiously as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Let’s go on a real date,” Bobby suggested hopefully. “Like let’s dress up and go to a fancy ass restaurant and go on a real date. Let me treat you.”

Hanbin chuckled up at him, “Really? _You_ want to go on a date?”

“Hey, I can be a romantic sometimes too!” Bobby defended in faux offense. “Let me be romantic for you.”

“Alright,” Hanbin smiled brightly. “Let’s do it.” 

A chorus of “aws” sounded from the couple's’ right after a door was torn open to reveal three awaiting faces. Bobby and Hanbin rolled their eyes at their friends as Junhoe spoke, “I can’t believe you guys made up in 10 minutes, but didn’t talk to each other for an entire week.”

“Gays are dramatic, what can I say,” Donghyuk joked playfully as the rest of them laughed. 

“Don’t you prefer the sappiness over the fighting?” Bobby questioned as he placed exaggeratedly sweet kisses along the top of Hanbin’s head.

“You guys are disgusting,” Junhoe huffed as he made his way back into the room to avoid the couple’s romantic display. 

Yunhyeong followed Junhoe’s lead as Donghyuk chimed in, “Well, I think you two are quite cute.”

Hanbin and Bobby smiled in response as Donghyuk followed his boyfriend into the dorm room. Bobby wrapped his arm around the younger’s shoulders before speaking, “How about next Friday?”

“Sounds great,” Hanbin replied as he placed a kiss on Bobby’s cheek and led him back into the room.

It all fit back into place once the couple sat down and the previous conversation started back up. It was as if nothing changed all over again. Except this time, Bobby prayed it would be the last fight they had at least for a while.

As Hanbin cuddled into Bobby and chuckled alongside his friends, Bobby felt utterly at peace. Even through all of the questions about the future, all of the problems of the past, Bobby felt a kind of love and connection he had never felt before with Hanbin in his arms. He kissed the younger’s forehead at the thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here's chapter 16, I hope you all enjoy! As always, thank you SO much for all of the love you guys give this story; I really am so appreciative. However, I'm actually getting a LOT of silent readers for this story, so I hope you all leave comments if you have the time; they really mean a lot! Also, the end of this story is very near. I have about 3 more chapters planned out and then it will be completed! I'm so happy to have had you all in my journey back into fanfiction and I hope you guys enjoy the last few segments of Fire and Ice <3.


	17. Ice

“Hanbin, even if you gel your hair back one more time, it’s going to look the same as it has the last 30 times you fixed it; I promise,” Junhoe whined from his spot on the elder’s bed.

Hanbin groaned as he situated a loose piece of hair back in place into his quiff and then flattened out Donghyuk’s dress shirt onto his thin frame. Then, the brunette situated his belt in-between his pant loops and checked himself out in the mirror one last time before making his way to sit on his bed next to Junhoe to tie his shoes. 

“Will you do me a favor?” Donghyuk asked sweetly from his spot cuddled up next to Yunhyeong on his bed. Hanbin hummed in response before his best friend continued, “If you guys end up fucking, will you please make sure my shirt is untainted? My mom would kill me if yours or Bobby’s cum got on it.”

Yunhyeong and Junhoe chuckled lightly as Hanbin playfully rolled his eyes, “Dong, I promise I won’t get sperm on your dress shirt. I care about Mrs. Kim too much for that.”

“Wait, what about m-”

Donghyuk’s complaint was interrupted by three sharp knocks sounding on the door. Hanbin gulped as the other three shared looks of excitement. He looked at himself one more time in the mirror hanging from the door before whispering, “Are you sure that I look alright?”

“You look great,” Yunhyeong whispered back encouragingly as he motioned towards the door. “Now, let the poor boy in!” 

Hanbin took a deep breath before bravely opening the door to reveal Bobby looking jaw-dropping good. He tried his best to keep his mouth from hanging open, but it was hard when the elder was dressed to the nines in a white dress shirt that hung onto his muscles and slick, black slacks. The younger smiled up at Bobby as he spoke, “You look great.”

Bobby licked his lips as a smile brightened his features, “Not nearly as good as you though.”

“Thank you,” Hanbin smiled back shyly as he was brought into the elder’s chest for a quick hug.

“Alright, kids, you better be back before midnight tonight!” Yunhyeong nagged playfully. “No funny business, now.”

“Or what, dad?” Bobby questioned sarcastically as he turned his attention to his roommate. “Are you going to ground me?”

“I guess we’ll see how the night goes,” Yunhyeong winked at the couple.

“So, what are you guys doing while we’re gone?” Hanbin asked politely as he laced his pinky with Bobby’s.

“We’re going to Jinhwan’s once you two leave for your romantic excursion,” Junhoe explained as he slid on his shoes and gathered his lanyard in his hands. “So, let’s get going. I have pizza to eat and pot to smoke.” 

The group chuckled and began gathering their belongings at Junhoe’s words. Just as Bobby and Hanbin were about to leave the room, Donghyuk called after them, “I hope you guys have fun! Think about what Jesus would do!”

“Thinking about what Jesus would do is the last thing on my mind tonight,” Hanbin responded seductively as he winked and Bobby flushed a light shade of pink.

“Just tell us what room you’re going to fuck in and Dong and I can stay in the other,” Yunhyeong offered politely as he wrapped his arm around his boyfriend’s waist and began his way down the stairs with the rest of the group.

As the five of them reached the cool November breeze outside, Bobby replied cheekily, “Who said anything about in one of our rooms?”

“You guys are disgusting,” Yunhyeong accused as Bobby and Hanbin made their way to the aforementioned male’s vehicle. “Don’t fuck in my car! I’ll make you reupholster the whole thing if you do!”

“No promises!” Bobby called back cheekily as he opened the passenger side door for Hanbin and let him scooch into the seat.

Yunhyeong yelled something obscene back while he was walking towards Jinhwan’s building, but Hanbin and Bobby ignored him to turn on some music. Hanbin settled on his playlist of current Hip Hop hits as the elder started making his way to the surprise restaurant.

They spent most of the car ride singing and rapping along to the blaring beats in-between laughs at each other or talking about classes. Bobby placed his hand on Hanbin’s thigh and didn’t move it until they arrived at the restaurant a 15 minute drive away.

As they parked and the younger was about to open the door for himself, Bobby grabbed his hands gently and spoke, “Wait, let me get that for you.”

Hanbin smiled sheepishly at the elder in thanks as Bobby shut his own door and made his way over to open the door for the younger. As he closed it behind him, Hanbin got a good look at the restaurant before them. 

The younger was certainly expecting Bobby to show his usual finesse by taking him to a relatively nice restaurant, but he wasn’t expecting something as beautiful as where they had just pulled up. Although the town they went to school in was relatively boring and small, the restaurant before them felt magical with it’s beautiful brick build.

Hanbin gulped as Bobby grabbed his hand and led him into the building. After Bobby told the host his name for the reservation, they were led through tables covered in white cloth and tall, lit candles. The place was almost filled to the brim with people, most of them older couples without a child in sight.

Once they were seated and the host left, Hanbin opened his menu. His eyes bulged at the prices as he looked up at the elder in shock, “It’s so expensive.”

“I have plenty of money, so order whatever you want,” Bobby insisted without looking up from his own menu, seemingly calm and collected.

“Not to be rude,” Hanbin began, trying his best to speak politely in fear of angering the elder. “But how can you afford this? There’s no way I could.”

“Well, I am a five star weed dealer when I need to hustle,” Bobby winked from behind his menu.

Hanbin chuckled at that, no longer phased by the elder’s antics after three months. The younger sighed softly, “You know, you don’t have to do this for me.”

“I want to do this for you,” Bobby responded as he put his menu down on the table to gaze at the brunette across from him. “Let me treat you.”

The younger blushed as he set his menu down as well and reached for Bobby’s hand across the table. The elder smiled and linked their fingers together with a squeeze of reassurance before Hanbin talked, “I just want you to know that I really appreciate this. Thank you for going out of your way to do this.”

“I can be a romantic sometimes,” Bobby winked as he let go of the younger’s hand once their waiter came to their table asking for orders.

The duo both ordered sodas and ironically enough, the same pasta dish. They chuckled lightly to themselves as the waiter walked away with the promise that the food would be out shortly. The boys thanked him before turning their attention right back to one another.

The rest of dinner went by in a similar fashion. They laughed as quietly as they could next to the older couples, bitched about classes and the noisy neighbors on their floor, and shared the funny stories that they hadn’t heard about each other yet neither from each other or one of the other boys. Even while eating, the two giggled and couldn’t keep the words from spilling excitedly out of their lips. Whenever they were together, they just couldn’t get enough.

Once they finished their meals and Bobby paid the bill, the two exited the building with their hands clasped proudly together. Before Hanbin could make it to open his own door, Bobby slid in front of it to open it for him with a smirk. Hanbin huffed but smiled regardless, “You know I am fully capable of opening and closing doors.”

Bobby chuckled as he pecked Hanbin on the cheek, “And I also know that you secretly love it when I’m a romantic.”

“Touche,” the younger replied as Bobby closed the door and scooched into the driver’s seat a few moments later. 

As the couple started driving away from the restaurant, Hanbin spat out, “So, I have an idea.”

A smile tugged at the elder’s lips as he responded, “And what might that be?”

As Bobby stopped at a red light, Hanbin smirked at him as he reached into his pocket to find the baggie that had been making him antsy for most of the night. The elder looked at him quizzically, but his expression quickly turned into a look of delight as Hanbin pulled out a small bag of weed. “I say we stop the fancy shit and go get stoned in our spot.”

“You’re turning out to be as bad as me now,” Bobby teased playfully as he moved to peck the top of Hanbin’s head. “I’m down as fuck.”

The rest of the car ride went by swiftly, especially with the promise of getting high quickening the driver’s pace. Once they parked Yunhyeong’s car in the parking lot to the side of their building, they began making their way to the spot they had visited so many times before, but not so many times recently.

Campus was quiet and serene that night. Since it was well into the evening, most of the party-goers were already out getting intoxicated while those who preferred to stay in were left to enjoy the quiet. Both Hanbin and Bobby felt more at peace than they had for any part of the semester, especially as the younger linked his arms with Bobby’s and leaned his head against his shoulder as they walked.

“I really had an amazing time tonight,” Hanbin admitted as the two began to enter the forested area of campus, the younger still clung tightly to Bobby. “I can’t thank you enough. Next time, I’ll treat you.”

“I’m glad you had fun,” Bobby smiled down at him lovingly. “I had fun too. I haven’t ever been on a date like that, so I’m glad my first time was with you.”

Hanbin blushed as they neared closer to their spot, but his cheeks only deepened in color as it came into view. A striped blanket, a bottle of red wine, a bowl to smoke out of, and two wine glasses were already situated in their normal seat. The younger let go of Bobby as he gasped at the sight.

“You did not do this for me,” the brunette stated as he soaked the scenery in.

“Well, I guess technically I did it for _us_ ,” Bobby smiled as he took a seat on the blanket. “But yes, it’s for you.”

Hanbin took a seat with a smile beaming across his features and then brought Bobby in for a kiss with his fingertip pulling the elder by the chin to his lips. The kiss was slow and deep and passionate and unlike any other kiss they had before. As they pulled away, both of their faces were flushed with happiness.

“Who would’ve known at the beginning of the semester that Kim Bobby was going to turn into a hopeless romantic?” the younger teased as he opened up the bottle of wine and began pouring an even amount of the beverage into each of the glasses.

“And who would’ve known that Kim Hanbin would go to a fancy restaurant with weed in his pocket?” Bobby teased back as he took a sip of the wine that the younger had handed him.

Hanbin sighed in content as he took a drink and then began packing the bowl, “I guess college changes you.”

“Nah,” Bobby dismissed as he wrapped his arm gently around Hanbin’s shoulder. “I think we changed each other.”

“Cheers to that,” Hanbin agreed as he raised his wine glass to the air.

“No, cheers to you,” Bobby challenged as he followed the younger’s actions. “Thank you for giving me chance after chance. I know this wasn’t easy and I’m so sorry for putting you through the bullshit I have these last few months. I care about you more than you know, Bin, and I couldn’t imagine having any of this with anybody else in the world.”

Hanbin blushed at the elder’s words before replying, “And thank you for giving me chance after chance too. I’m not the easiest person to handle and you somehow can do it despite all the emotional rollercoasters I’ve put you through. I’m so happy to be here with you.”

As a smile reached Bobby’s eyes, the two clanked their glasses together and took a drink. Hanbin couldn’t think of anything better to celebrate than him and Bobby finally working things out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, I know I'm an entire week late for an update, but I hope you all enjoy all of this fluff anyway! Thank you so, so much for all the love and support I've received for this story; I feel so lucky. Please leave a comment if you have the time though, as there are a lot of silent readers for this story; it would be much appreciated! Also, only one or two chapters left!


	18. Fire

On the day after the date, all of the boys except Hanbin and Junhoe had found themselves in Jinhwan’s apartment before late afternoon had hit. The other two were busy studying for a Gender Studies test in the library as the four snacked around the eldest’s apartment and flipped through dramas on TV.

Their conversation topics flipped back and forth pretty often. One minute they were talking about their new favorite albums of the season and the next they’d switch to a funny story that happened recently in one of their classes. However, one topic in particular made Bobby nearly choke on his mouthful of chips.

“So, Bob, when are you going to get the balls to ask Hanbin out?” Jinhwan asked casually as he eyed the younger and took a gulp of his tea.

Donghyuk and Yunhyeong chuckled as Bobby coughed a bit in surprise before responding, “Believe it or not, I was actually thinking about doing it tonight.”

“Oooh, really?” Donghyuk enthused as he leaned in closer to Bobby to put all of his attention on the elder boy. “How are you going to do it?”

“I thought about going to ask him in our smoking spot. Is that too cheesy?” Bobby asked sincerely as he ran his fingers through his hair in nervousness.

“Yes, which is what makes it perfect,” Yunhyeong stated as he put his hand securely on his boyfriend’s thigh. 

“You’re becoming such a sucker, Bobby. What happened to my wild best friend from last year?” Jinhwan teased playfully with a pinch on Bobby’s shoulder.

“Hey, I’m still here!” Bobby exclaimed with a smile. “I just...softened up a bit for a cute boy.”

“He’s a good reason to soften up,” Donghyuk agreed with a smile as he grabbed another handful of chips to shove into his mouth. “I think he’s going to go crazy for it.” 

“Really? You think so?” Bobby questioned, still nervous about his approach to asking out Hanbin officially and for what the younger’s response may be. The last thing he wanted was to ask him to be his boyfriend too soon and scare him away.

The group’s conversation was interrupted as the front door opened to reveal Hanbin and Junhoe bundled up in sweatshirts and denim jackets to shield them from the November breeze. Donghyuk gave a quick encouraging nod in Bobby’s direction to answer the elder’s previous question before turning his attention back to the new arrivals, “Hey, guys! How was studying?”

“Excruciating,” Junhoe complained as he kicked off his shoes and immediately made his way to Jinhwan’s fridge to grab a water bottle. He took a quick swig before Hanbin grabbed the younger’s water and took a gulp of his own.

“I think we’ll be okay for the test though,” Hanbin commented as he handed Junhoe’s water bottle back to him. “With both of our notes combined, we were able to finish most of the study guide.” 

“Good luck on Monday then, guys. I’m sure you’ll both do great,” Yunhyeong encouraged as he stretched out his arms. “So, what do you guys want to do tonight?”

“If everyone pitches in, we can get a couple of pizzas and hang out here and smoke?” Jinhwan suggested as he picked up his phone. “We want pepperoni and mushrooms on them, right?”

“Can we get one with just cheese?” Junhoe whined as he fished some money out of his pocket and shoved it into the eldest’s palm.

“Is everyone cool with one pizza with pepperoni and mushrooms and one with cheese?” Jinhwan asked as he began dialing their usual pizza place on his cell phone. They all made noises of agreement as they placed a few bills into Jinhwan’s hands for the pizza. Then, the eldest placed the order as the other five made their way into the living room. 

Once they all sat down in their usual spots, Junhoe, Bobby, and Hanbin all took a small bag of weed out of their pockets to donate to the cause. Donghyuk hurriedly grabbed a grinder out of his backpack and began grinding up the group’s shared weed so they could start smoking once Jinhwan was finished.

By the time the shortest of the group made his way to the living room, the bong was already packed and lighters were being distributed around the group. Jinhwan sighed contently, “We really have mastered this whole weed and takeout operation.”

“We have,” Junhoe agreed as he took the first hit and passed the bong to Bobby. “You know, I’ve been thinking. We should damn near live in the apartments next year so we can dirty up all of our places instead of just Jinhwan’s.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Yunhyeong agreed as he wrapped his arm around Donghyuk’s shoulder. “Since you three youngest would still be considered underclassman, you’d have to stay in the buildings a little further west, but it’s still only a 2 minute walk from there to here. Then Jinhwan, Bobby, and I could stay in one too. Chanwoo would have to stay in the dorms since he’d be a freshman, but he could come crash at either of our places whenever he wanted.”

“We’d probably get in a little more trouble if we actually all lived together,” Hanbin assumed as he took a hit of his own. 

“If the giant cloud of smoke that leaves this apartment every time one of us leaves hasn’t flagged an RA yet, I don’t think anything will,” Junhoe mused as he pulled his legs up on the couch to sit criss-crossed “I still think we should do it though. It would be fun not to share showers and bathrooms with our entire floor.”

“That sounds straight out of a wet dream,” Donghyuk sighed in content at the thought of having private facilities. “I’m totally down if you guys are.”

“Hell yeah,” Hanbin agreed readily as he linked his arm with Bobby’s. “It would be nice to give Jinhwan a break from hosting us too.”

“Oh, you guys worry too much,” Jinhwan insisted as a small smile creeped onto his features. “I may complain, but I secretly love having you guys here.”

They all smiled at the elder’s words, even Junhoe, who refrained from biting back with his usual sarcastic comment due to the sincerity of Jinhwan’s statement. It had been nearly five months since the other five members of the group began occupying space at Jinhwan’s apartment, and never did the eldest tell them they couldn’t come over for comfort, a snack, and some good fucking pot. 

The delivery man didn’t arrive too much after their smoke session ended, which they quickly covered with a copious amount of air freshener and some eye drops for all. After paying the gentlemen, they wasted no time in digging into their food and turning on a shitty action movie to pass the time as they munched away.

Yunhyeong and Donghyuk cuddled up immediately under one of the fuzzy blankets situated next to the loveseat that Jinhwan left specifically for them (after many complaints from the couple about the apartment always being freezing). Junhoe and Jinhwan did their own form of cuddling up, which was each of them leaning against the arms of the couch and letting their feet tangle together as they stared at the TV screen. Bobby and Hanbin were close as well, their shoulders touching as the younger of the two leaned his head against Bobby’s shoulder. It felt perfect.

Hell, it all felt perfect. After all of the hardships, all of the fights, all of the back and forth, the group had finally found a common ground. They had survived the nastiest of breakups, a tornado of wavering emotions, and everything in-between, but still found a way to come back together.

The rest of the night was spent laughing harder than any of them had ever laughed before. They laughed about old times, about future times, about embarrassing stories they never dared to tell anybody but each other. In-between the laughter was hints of worries and everyday topics; about how each of them were worried for finals, worried about what they would do for the three weeks of winter break without each other.

Bobby had never felt so happy with a friend group in his life. Sure, he had friends come and go in his life that left behind fun memories, but nothing like the ones he had shared with the five boys that sat beside him. And yes, he was worried about seeing Jisoo and dealing with the deep-rooted problems that laid between himself and his parents, but he also knew that if anything were to go wrong, any of the five boys would be only a call and a few hours drive away. Bobby found more comfort in that thought than he did in anything else.

As the night continued to drag on and yawns began escaping from the boys’ lips, Bobby decided it was either then or never. Now that the night had calmed down and Yunhyeong and Donghyuk had already nearly fallen asleep in each other’s arms, he had an open chance to sneak Hanbin away. 

Bobby’s palms grew sweaty as he attempted to gain the courage to make his next move. He had been planning for that day for the the past few months, trying to get all of the details perfect for Hanbin, and now it was all boiling down to the following few minutes. He had to get it right.

As Hanbin adjusted himself to stretch out his legs, Bobby smiled, “Hey, Bin, do you wanna go for a walk?”

The younger perked up at that and eyed Bobby curiously before responding, “Yeah, sure. Is everything alright?”

“Perfect,” the elder replied immediately as he stood up from Jinhwan’s floor and straightened out his shirt before continuing. “The weather is just nice and I wanted to take advantage of it.”

“Alright,” Hanbin agreed readily enough as Bobby grabbed for his hand to help him up. The other four turned their attention to the pair as they shuffled as the brunette spoke. “Bobby and I are going to take a walk. We’ll be back in a little bit.”

“Sounds good,” Jinhwan stated without looking up from the card game him and Junhoe were currently much too invested in. “Also, if you plan on going to fuck, make sure it isn’t in public. Campus security doesn’t take too kindly to that.”

“You really take the fun out of everything,” Donghyuk teased from his spot cuddled up next to Yunhyeong in the loveseat, a place the blonde found himself more often than not. Once Yunhyeong chuckled at his boyfriend’s comment, the couple turned their attention to give Bobby an encouraging wink and a discreet thumbs up before Bobby and Hanbin walked out of the door.

The younger of the two linked his arm with Bobby’s the moment they exited the door, both of them finding comfort and warmth in each other’s presence under the November night sky. Out of habit, the pair began making their way to their usual smoking spot without much thought as the elder interrupted the silence. “Isn’t it crazy how far we’ve come in the last few months? I remember us walking to smoke for the first time and keeping the ‘no homo’ distance between each other.”

They both laughed at the memory of the two of them nervously shuffling around each other at the beginning of their relationship before Hanbin responded, “It’s because I had a massive gay crush on you from the get-go. I couldn’t keep my chill around you even if my life depended on it.”

Bobby smiled lovingly at the shorter of the two as they made their way into the beginning of the wooded area of campus, “Don’t worry, you were definitely not the only one crushing. I think I had a crush on you the moment we were introduced. That’s why I tried to impress you with my contraband stash.” 

Hanbin rolled his eyes playfully as the two ducked under various tree branches to reach their spot, his small hands still clung onto Bobby’s arms as he questioned, “You really thought I’d suck your dick just because you had a questionably large amount of Fireball and weed in your dorm room?”

“It was worth a shot,” Bobby shrugged as the couple laughed once again. “I mean, you did end up sucking my dick.”

“Hey, you sucked mine too!” the younger exclaimed as he shoved him playfully before taking a seat at their usual spot. They both criss-crossed their legs to sit on the ground next to one another, their knees touching just as they did their first trip there. Hanbin smiled at the memory as he turned to face Bobby, “So, what’d you bring me out here for?”

Bobby gulped at Hanbin’s words as he grabbed the younger’s hands in his own. That was it. That was the moment he’d been stupidly practicing in the mirror (and had embarrassingly been caught by Yunhyeong more than a few times) for the last few weeks for. He took a deep breath before talking, “Well, Bin, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“Ask me?” Hanbin questioned as his eyebrows scrunched into confusion. Nervousness flooded the younger’s system as he squeezed Bobby’s hands for reassurance.

“Bin, you know I’ve liked you for a really long time now,” Bobby started, his heart thumping rapidly against his chest. “And I’ve wanted to do this for a long time too, but we both kept getting in the way. But, I think we’ve made a lot of progress and are in a really good place, so I thought now was as good of a time as ever.”

The elder saw Hanbin’s eyes light up with each new word that passed his lips and Bobby couldn’t help but blush as he continued, “So, bin. Would you, uh, would you be my boyfriend? Officially?”

Hanbin let out a squeal of excitement as he ripped his hands from Bobby’s grip to wrap his arms around the elder’s neck. Bobby smiled into the brunette’s neck as he snaked his own arms around Hanbin’s waist to embrace him tighter before asking, “So, is that a yes?”

The younger chuckled as he pulled away from Bobby’s chest to look into his eyes, “Of course it’s a yes, you idiot!”

Bobby chuckled alongside his lover as he placed his hand on Hanbin’s face, rubbing his thumb over the soft skin of his cheek as he looked lovingly at his boyfriend. Hanbin returned the sincere look in his eyes as he moved his hand to fall onto Bobby’s sharp cheekbones as well, pulling him closer until both of their eyes were fluttering closed and their faces were only centimeters apart.

Then they kissed. They kissed like they were dying and every last breath could only be meaningful if it was spent on another kiss. They kissed like lovers at the end of romcoms when everything finally falls into place and fireworks burst cinematically behind them. In reality, there was only the sound of animals scurrying in the woods and the odd smells of stale smoke and sex that had been ingrained into the forest surrounding them, but it didn’t matter when their lips meeting felt like a fairytale.

And so the burning buildings of Bobby’s wild heart were calmed by the freezing rain of Hanbin’s love. And the ice surrounding Hanbin’s frozen heart was melted by the cozy fire of Bobby’s eyes. And Fire and Ice found a way to mix after all.

The forest fire that once lit the path that Bobby walked upon now faded into a gentle ember, just hot enough to create a spark between the couple. The chilling icicles of Hanbin’s exterior had quenched the fire, slowly fading it to a gentle coolness that kept the two at ease.

Fire and Ice may be opposites, but Bobby and Hanbin balanced in perfect chemistry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I want to give a quick shoutout to @ikonbias for her help with the last few paragraphs of this chapter because I was going crazy about editing it to perfection, and she gave me the finishing touches. Thank you, Kaz <3.
> 
> Secondly, well, it's official, Fire and Ice is completed! I sincerely hope you all enjoyed this last installment and the story as a whole, because it certainly has become my baby over the last six months of meticulously planning and writing it. As always, thank you SO, SO much for all of the love, kudos, and comments I've gotten for this story. It's more than I ever imagined and it's so exciting to know that so many people enjoyed. I hope the ending wasn't a disappointment, and I hope you all enjoyed this crazy journey. Thank you so much again!!


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